Boy · #1,255 in 2026

Ismail

Ismail is an Arabic given name. It corresponds to the English name Ishmael.

  • Arabic
  • Malay
  • Indonesian
  • Urdu
Current Rank
#1,255
Peak Rank
#1,130 (2016)
Total Babies
4K
5-Yr Trend
+9%
1962
First Year
2026
Last Year
2016
Peak Year
#1130
Peak Rank
4K
Total Count
59
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ismail

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Ismail is an Arabic given name. It corresponds to the English name Ishmael.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Arabic
  • Malay
  • Indonesian
  • Urdu
  • Bengali
  • Uyghur
  • Kyrgyz
  • Chechen
  • Avar
  • Kazakh
  • Albanian
  • Dhivehi
  • Quranic
  • Turkish
Etymology
The literal translation of the name Ismail is "heard by God" and according to Abrahamic tradition, it refers to the yearning of Abraham and his wife, Sarah , to have a child. Ismail's mother, however, was not Sarah, but Hagar , Sarah's maidservant, who Sarah gave to Abraham as a concubine because she was unable to have a child. Sarah later does give birth to a son, Isaac . According to Genesis , the name is given by God as He heard the cries of Hagar who had been mistreated by Sarah after becoming pregnant and run away. According to Islamic tradition, Ismail 's mother, Hagar was also a full wi

The Story of Ismail

American parents first put Ismail on the record books as a baby boy name in 1962, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 171 Ismails were born — ranking #1,130 that year. About 33% of every Ismail on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ismail ranks #1,255 for baby boys with 159 births, gradually rising (+9%). All told, over 4K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Ismail

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ismail. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Ismail

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ismail 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 Ismail

What does the name Ismail mean?
Ismail is an Arabic given name. It corresponds to the English name Ishmael.
What is the origin of the name Ismail?
Ismail has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Urdu, Bengali, Uyghur, Kyrgyz, Chechen, Avar, Kazakh, Albanian, Dhivehi, Quranic, Turkish.
How popular is Ismail in 2026?
In 2026, Ismail ranks #1,255 among boys' names in the U.S., with 159 babies given the name that year.
When was Ismail most popular?
Ismail reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #1,130 that year with 171 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Ismail most popular?
Ismail has historically been most popular in Minnesota, New York, New Jersey. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ismail.
Is Ismail a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Ismail is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Ismail?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ismail include Boy, Dutch, Jock. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Ismail?
Common variants and related forms of Ismail include Esmail, Ismaeel, Isma'il, Ismaïl, Ysmaiyl. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

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About the name Ismail

Ismail is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1962 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Ismail's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #1,130. Use the chart and map above to compare Ismail's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.