Ismail
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- is-ma-EEL
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #250 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,064 for boys
Ismail is a boys' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “God hears”. In 2025 it ranked 250th for boys in the UK (211 babies) and 1,064th for boys in the US (204 babies).
What does Ismail mean?
Hebrew: Arabic form of Ishmael
“God hears”
Ismail, son of Ibrahim, is honoured in Islam as a prophet and an ancestor of the Arabs.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ismail a girl's or a boy's name?
Ismail is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 211 boys in the UK and 204 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ismail in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #250among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 211about 1 in 1,400 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 211 boys in the UK were named Ismail, making it the 250th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 310th.
2025 had the most boys named Ismail of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Ismail in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 290 boys in the UK were given Ismail or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #203, up from #250 for this spelling alone.
- Ismail 211
- Ismaeel 79
Among boys in 2025, it was 243rd in England and Wales and 316th in Scotland.
Ismail in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 211 | #250 |
| 2024 | 165 | #300 |
| 2023 | 163 | #309 |
| 2022 | 181 | #289 |
| 2021 | 153 | #337 |
| 2020 | 165 | #310 |
| 2019 | 198 | #274 |
| 2018 | 207 | #275 |
| 2017 | 198 | #289 |
| 2016 | 187 | #307 |
| 2015 | 204 | #281 |
| 2014 | 207 | #272 |
| 2013 | 186 | #284 |
| 2012 | 199 | #269 |
| 2011 | 199 | #269 |
| 2010 | 201 | #261 |
| 2009 | 199 | #250 |
| 2008 | 209 | #244 |
| 2007 | 173 | #262 |
| 2006 | 166 | #251 |
| 2005 | 157 | #249 |
| 2004 | 172 | #236 |
| 2003 | 127 | #270 |
| 2002 | 125 | #263 |
| 2001 | 130 | #248 |
| 2000 | 98 | #311 |
| 1999 | 93 | #326 |
| 1998 | 91 | #318 |
| 1997 | 62 | #410 |
| 1996 | 78 | #337 |
How popular is Ismail in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,064among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 204about 1 in 8,400 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 24% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 204 boys in the US were named Ismail, making it the 1,064th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,361st. It first appears in the records in 1962.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the most boys named Ismail of any year since it first appeared, in 1962.
Half of all the boys named Ismail in the US since 1880 were born between 2000 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 233 boys in the US were given Ismail or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #903, up from #1,064 for this spelling alone.
- Ismail 204
- Ismaeel 29
Ismail in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 204 | #1,064 |
| 2024 | 163 | #1,231 |
| 2023 | 132 | #1,397 |
| 2022 | 122 | #1,479 |
| 2021 | 121 | #1,479 |
| 2020 | 130 | #1,361 |
| 2019 | 114 | #1,494 |
| 2018 | 158 | #1,195 |
| 2017 | 148 | #1,236 |
| 2016 | 171 | #1,130 |
| 2015 | 158 | #1,174 |
| 2014 | 136 | #1,300 |
| 2013 | 135 | #1,285 |
| 2012 | 116 | #1,428 |
| 2011 | 119 | #1,395 |
| 2010 | 94 | #1,652 |
| 2009 | 104 | #1,561 |
| 2008 | 85 | #1,760 |
| 2007 | 101 | #1,552 |
| 2006 | 103 | #1,479 |
| 2005 | 69 | #1,850 |
| 2004 | 80 | #1,615 |
| 2003 | 85 | #1,510 |
| 2002 | 85 | #1,480 |
| 2001 | 80 | #1,510 |
| 2000 | 68 | #1,677 |
| 1999 | 65 | #1,639 |
| 1998 | 69 | #1,543 |
| 1997 | 64 | #1,577 |
| 1996 | 53 | #1,737 |
| 1995 | 52 | #1,701 |
| 1994 | 51 | #1,729 |
| 1993 | 57 | #1,572 |
| 1992 | 35 | #2,169 |
| 1991 | 56 | #1,539 |
| 1990 | 42 | #1,835 |
| 1989 | 32 | #2,148 |
| 1988 | 28 | #2,192 |
| 1987 | 24 | #2,329 |
| 1986 | 18 | #2,776 |
| 1985 | 17 | #2,825 |
| 1984 | 20 | #2,436 |
| 1983 | 31 | #1,786 |
| 1982 | 25 | #2,110 |
| 1981 | 22 | #2,269 |
| 1980 | 30 | #1,852 |
| 1979 | 29 | #1,867 |
| 1978 | 24 | #2,012 |
| 1977 | 19 | #2,361 |
| 1976 | 16 | #2,600 |
| 1975 | 14 | #2,749 |
| 1974 | 7 | #4,188 |
| 1973 | 8 | #3,692 |
| 1972 | 9 | #3,342 |
| 1971 | 5 | #4,905 |
| 1970 | 7 | #3,834 |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 7 | #3,281 |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 5 | #4,031 |
Names like Ismail
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ibrahim Muhammad Musa Abdullah Mustafa Ahmed Hamza Zakariya Umar Zayd Amir Khalid
Other spellings of Ismail
Names related to Ismail
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, “Ismail: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ismail, updated 20 October 2026.