Ismaeel
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- is-ma-EEL
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #538 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,756 for boys
Ismaeel is a boys' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “God hears”. In 2025 it ranked 538th for boys in the UK (79 babies) and 3,756th for boys in the US (29 babies).
What does Ismaeel mean?
Hebrew: spelling of Ismail, the Arabic form of Ishmael
“God hears”
Ismail, son of Ibrahim, is honoured in Islam as a prophet and an ancestor of the Arabs.
Is Ismaeel a girl's or a boy's name?
Ismaeel is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 79 boys in the UK and 29 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ismaeel in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 538th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 79 about 1 in 3,800 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 14% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 79 boys in the UK were named Ismaeel, making it the 538th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 438th. Its busiest year was 2016, with 145 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Ismaeel than any year since 2011.
Half of all the boys named Ismaeel in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 290 boys in the UK were given Ismaeel or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #203, up from #538 for this spelling alone.
- Ismail 211
- Ismaeel 79
Among boys in 2025, it was 487th in England and Wales.
Ismaeel in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 | #538 |
| 2024 | 101 | #443 |
| 2023 | 94 | #462 |
| 2022 | 80 | #540 |
| 2021 | 95 | #478 |
| 2020 | 102 | #438 |
| 2019 | 101 | #454 |
| 2018 | 116 | #414 |
| 2017 | 130 | #389 |
| 2016 | 145 | #361 |
| 2015 | 112 | #421 |
| 2014 | 100 | #457 |
| 2013 | 101 | #451 |
| 2012 | 81 | #521 |
| 2011 | 71 | #554 |
| 2010 | 73 | #532 |
| 2009 | 65 | #572 |
| 2008 | 78 | #506 |
| 2007 | 74 | #505 |
| 2006 | 79 | #455 |
| 2005 | 66 | #481 |
| 2004 | 56 | #512 |
| 2003 | 44 | #582 |
| 2002 | 34 | #642 |
| 2001 | 42 | #531 |
| 2000 | 29 | #688 |
| 1999 | 24 | #755 |
| 1998 | 27 | #702 |
| 1997 | 17 | #941 |
| 1996 | 11 | #1,215 |
How popular is Ismaeel in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,756th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 29 about 1 in 59,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 28% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 29 boys in the US were named Ismaeel, making it the 3,756th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,271st. Its busiest year was 2023, with 34 boys. It first appears in the records in 1995.
Half of all the boys named Ismaeel in the US since 1880 were born between 2010 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 233 boys in the US were given Ismaeel or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #903, up from #3,756 for this spelling alone.
- Ismail 204
- Ismaeel 29
Ismaeel in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29 | #3,756 |
| 2024 | 20 | #4,886 |
| 2023 | 34 | #3,414 |
| 2022 | 26 | #4,086 |
| 2021 | 28 | #3,810 |
| 2020 | 23 | #4,271 |
| 2019 | 22 | #4,476 |
| 2018 | 20 | #4,735 |
| 2017 | 23 | #4,327 |
| 2016 | 23 | #4,326 |
| 2015 | 23 | #4,293 |
| 2014 | 21 | #4,534 |
| 2013 | 14 | #5,919 |
| 2012 | 13 | #6,300 |
| 2011 | 18 | #4,981 |
| 2010 | 21 | #4,516 |
| 2009 | 15 | #5,796 |
| 2008 | 15 | #5,762 |
| 2007 | 14 | #5,898 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7,422 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 7 | #8,636 |
| 2002 | 8 | #7,636 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 7 | #8,202 |
| 1999 | 5 | #9,905 |
| 1998 | 8 | #6,837 |
| 1997 | 6 | #8,104 |
| 1996 | 10 | #5,528 |
| 1995 | 5 | #8,861 |
Names like Ismaeel
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ibrahim, Musa, Muhammad, Abdullah, Zakariya, Mustafa, Zayd, Huzaifa, Zayan, Zayaan, Ayyub, Hamza
Other spellings of Ismaeel
Names related to Ismaeel
More Hebrew names
Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ismaeel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ismaeel, updated 20 October 2026.