Boy · #5,589 in 2026

Yishai

Name: Popularity of the name Yishai in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Yishai, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Yishai is a Hebrew given name and surname. It is the origin of the English given name Jesse, and is the original Hebrew name of Jesse father of David. Variant spellings include Yishay, Ishay, Yshai, and Yeshay. There is also a derived patronymic surname Ben-Yishai.

Current Rank

#5,589

Peak Rank

#4,217 (2023)

Total Babies

448

5-Yr Trend

+9%

1990

First Year

2026

Last Year

2023

Peak Year

#4217

Peak Rank

448

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Yishai

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

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

The Story of Yishai

Yishai first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1990, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 25 Yishais were born — ranking #4,217 that year. As of 2026, Yishai ranks #5,589 for baby boys with 17 births, gradually rising (+9%). In total, more than 448 Yishais have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Yishai

Phonetically similar names — useful when Yishai is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Yeshu
Yoshi
Yasha
Utia
Wishy
Wisha
Wishaw
Yessir
Yli
Uy
Yash
Yeshua

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Yishai

What does the name Yishai mean?

How popular is Yishai in 2026?

In 2026, Yishai ranks #5,589 among boys' names in the U.S., with 17 babies given the name that year.

When was Yishai most popular?

Yishai reached its peak popularity in 2023, ranking #4,217 that year with 25 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Yishai most popular?

Yishai has historically been most popular in New York, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Yishai.

Is Yishai a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Yishai is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Yishai?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Yishai include Marsel, Kaled, Kasra. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Yishai

Yishai is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1990 and has accumulated 448 births in the dataset. Yishai's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #4,217. Use the chart and map above to compare Yishai'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.