Ishmail
In the biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael was the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah. He died at the age of 137.
Meaning & Origin of Ishmail
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
In the biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael was the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah. He died at the age of 137.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Etymology
The Story of Ishmail
The earliest SSA record of Ishmail as a baby boy name dates back to 1971, when 5 babies received it. 1995 was its biggest year on record, with 13 newborns named Ishmail — #4,508 in the national rankings. About 45% of every Ishmail on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Ishmail last appeared in the published SSA data in 2012, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 208 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Ishmail
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ishmail is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ishmail
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About the name Ishmail
Ishmail is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1971 and has accumulated 208 births in the dataset. Ishmail's peak popularity came in 1995 when it ranked #4,508. Use the chart and map above to compare Ishmail's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1995 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "I" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.