Ismael
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- is-ma-EL
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #902 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #263 for boys
Ismael is a boys' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “God hears”. In 2025 it ranked 902nd for boys in the UK (38 babies) and 263rd for boys in the US (1,307 babies).
What does Ismael mean?
Hebrew: Spanish, Portuguese and French form of Ishmael
“God hears”
Is Ismael a girl's or a boy's name?
Ismael is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 38 boys in the UK and 1,307 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ismael in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 902nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 38 about 1 in 7,900 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 38 boys in the UK were named Ismael, making it the 902nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 737th. Its busiest year was 2018, with 61 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Ismael than any year since 2008.
Half of all the boys named Ismael in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 41 boys in the UK were given Ismael or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #766, up from #902 for this spelling alone.
- Ismael 38
- Isma'Eel 3
Among boys in 2025, it was 845th in England and Wales.
Ismael in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 38 | #902 |
| 2024 | 51 | #748 |
| 2023 | 58 | #673 |
| 2022 | 42 | #829 |
| 2021 | 47 | #788 |
| 2020 | 50 | #737 |
| 2019 | 52 | #717 |
| 2018 | 61 | #654 |
| 2017 | 48 | #778 |
| 2016 | 44 | #806 |
| 2015 | 47 | #764 |
| 2014 | 49 | #729 |
| 2013 | 43 | #811 |
| 2012 | 39 | #873 |
| 2011 | 41 | #819 |
| 2010 | 46 | #739 |
| 2009 | 41 | #782 |
| 2008 | 36 | #854 |
| 2007 | 36 | #827 |
| 2006 | 32 | #864 |
| 2005 | 30 | #853 |
| 2004 | 26 | #903 |
| 2003 | 21 | #975 |
| 2002 | 18 | #1,030 |
| 2001 | 18 | #978 |
| 2000 | 28 | #713 |
| 1999 | 16 | #1,001 |
| 1998 | 11 | #1,259 |
| 1997 | 14 | #1,066 |
| 1996 | 11 | #1,215 |
How popular is Ismael in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 263rd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 1,307 about 1 in 1,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 58% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 1,307 boys in the US were named Ismael, making it the 263rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 350th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 1,535 boys. It first appears in the records in 1903.
Half of all the boys named Ismael in the US since 1880 were born between 1984 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
Ismael in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,307 | #263 |
| 2024 | 1,535 | #234 |
| 2023 | 1,425 | #244 |
| 2022 | 1,076 | #312 |
| 2021 | 928 | #350 |
| 2020 | 905 | #350 |
| 2019 | 875 | #365 |
| 2018 | 919 | #359 |
| 2017 | 814 | #392 |
| 2016 | 792 | #403 |
| 2015 | 772 | #401 |
| 2014 | 807 | #386 |
| 2013 | 746 | #400 |
| 2012 | 776 | #383 |
| 2011 | 789 | #376 |
| 2010 | 824 | #362 |
| 2009 | 863 | #357 |
| 2008 | 935 | #348 |
| 2007 | 978 | #327 |
| 2006 | 988 | #324 |
| 2005 | 898 | #335 |
| 2004 | 905 | #332 |
| 2003 | 871 | #332 |
| 2002 | 809 | #338 |
| 2001 | 866 | #325 |
| 2000 | 803 | #341 |
| 1999 | 785 | #338 |
| 1998 | 744 | #351 |
| 1997 | 658 | #370 |
| 1996 | 772 | #335 |
| 1995 | 716 | #342 |
| 1994 | 642 | #371 |
| 1993 | 637 | #372 |
| 1992 | 600 | #382 |
| 1991 | 615 | #373 |
| 1990 | 557 | #412 |
| 1989 | 456 | #441 |
| 1988 | 475 | #414 |
| 1987 | 434 | #420 |
| 1986 | 445 | #405 |
| 1985 | 415 | #420 |
| 1984 | 380 | #425 |
| 1983 | 424 | #393 |
| 1982 | 435 | #389 |
| 1981 | 406 | #405 |
| 1980 | 386 | #420 |
| 1979 | 419 | #391 |
| 1978 | 338 | #433 |
| 1977 | 326 | #439 |
| 1976 | 349 | #413 |
| 1975 | 306 | #461 |
| 1974 | 365 | #410 |
| 1973 | 279 | #467 |
| 1972 | 280 | #470 |
| 1971 | 289 | #477 |
| 1970 | 301 | #467 |
| 1969 | 247 | #489 |
| 1968 | 255 | #475 |
| 1967 | 220 | #506 |
| 1966 | 233 | #496 |
| 1965 | 200 | #540 |
| 1964 | 218 | #531 |
| 1963 | 213 | #542 |
| 1962 | 233 | #517 |
| 1961 | 181 | #588 |
| 1960 | 208 | #545 |
| 1959 | 195 | #554 |
| 1958 | 191 | #558 |
| 1957 | 196 | #551 |
| 1956 | 202 | #524 |
| 1955 | 160 | #580 |
| 1954 | 161 | #581 |
| 1953 | 165 | #549 |
| 1952 | 145 | #577 |
| 1951 | 138 | #589 |
| 1950 | 131 | #594 |
| 1949 | 129 | #600 |
| 1948 | 116 | #628 |
| 1947 | 104 | #677 |
| 1946 | 96 | #660 |
| 1945 | 79 | #676 |
| 1944 | 79 | #698 |
| 1943 | 50 | #943 |
| 1942 | 65 | #795 |
| 1941 | 59 | #828 |
| 1940 | 40 | #1,019 |
| 1939 | 55 | #818 |
| 1938 | 58 | #814 |
| 1937 | 49 | #880 |
| 1936 | 39 | #1,010 |
| 1935 | 52 | #872 |
| 1934 | 40 | #1,024 |
| 1933 | 68 | #740 |
| 1932 | 57 | #841 |
| 1931 | 76 | #688 |
| 1930 | 75 | #730 |
| 1929 | 58 | #869 |
| 1928 | 51 | #950 |
| 1927 | 43 | #1,080 |
| 1926 | 43 | #1,064 |
| 1925 | 41 | #1,091 |
| 1924 | 28 | #1,414 |
| 1923 | 37 | #1,177 |
| 1922 | 27 | #1,434 |
| 1921 | 28 | #1,412 |
| 1920 | 23 | #1,592 |
| 1919 | 20 | #1,694 |
| 1918 | 13 | #2,259 |
| 1917 | 20 | #1,642 |
| 1916 | 10 | #2,542 |
| 1915 | 6 | #3,391 |
| 1914 | 15 | #1,607 |
| 1913 | 15 | #1,364 |
| 1912 | 8 | #1,884 |
| 1911 | 7 | #1,386 |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 5 | #1,129 |
Names like Ismael
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Raphael, Gabriel, Zachary, Isaiah, Tobias, Nathaniel, Elijah, Elias, Israel, Isaac, Abel, Joey
Other spellings of Ismael
Isma'Eel
Names related to Ismael
More Hebrew names
Noah, Isabella, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Mateo, Elsie, Levi
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, “Ismael: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ismael, updated 20 October 2026.