Fun Facts About the Name Ismael
- More than 44 thousand babies named Ismael: U.S. records list 44,280 babies given the name Ismael from 1880 through 2025. Even 73 girls received the name Ismael - about 1 girl for every 606 boys.
What Does the Name Ismael Mean?
Ismael is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Ishmael, a name that comes from the Hebrew Bible. Its source is the Hebrew Yishmaʿel (יִשְׁמָעֵאל), formed from the verb element yishmaʿ, meaning "he hears" or "he will hear," and ʾEl, meaning "God." The literal sense is "God hears" or "God will hear"; the customary English rendering is "God hears." The same Hebrew original also stands behind the Arabic Ismāʿīl (إسماعيل).
Ismael Name History & Origins
In the book of Genesis, Ishmael is the son of Abraham and Hagar and the traditional ancestor of the Ishmaelites. The Hebrew text has Yishmaʿel; the Greek Septuagint renders the name Ismaēl, and the Latin Vulgate uses Ismahel. Through Latin the name entered the Romance languages, where Spanish and Portuguese settled on Ismael, dropping the h and placing the stress on the final syllable. French uses Ismaël.
In English, Ishmael is the usual biblical spelling, while Ismael appears both as the Spanish and Portuguese form and as an alternative English spelling; the two are not separate names but spellings of the same biblical figure. The English form Ishmael is familiar from Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851), whose narrator takes that name.
Islamic tradition knows the same figure as Ismāʿīl, and the name is common in Arabic-speaking countries and in Muslim communities. The Arabic form developed along its own path from the shared Semitic original, separate from the Spanish and Portuguese line, though both trace back to the same Hebrew name.
How Popular is the Name Ismael?
Ismael recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2024. Its best rank was #234 in 2024.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #17,476 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #14,852 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #15,975 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #13,294 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #11,008 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #9,904 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #12,364 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #11,353 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #8,350 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #9,643 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #8,937 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #9,835 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #263 | 1,307 | 0.0765% |
| 2024 | #234 | 1,532 | 0.0893% |
| 2023 | #244 | 1,425 | 0.0834% |
| 2022 | #312 | 1,076 | 0.0617% |
| 2021 | #351 | 926 | 0.0530% |
| 2020 | #350 | 905 | 0.0525% |
| 2019 | #365 | 875 | 0.0488% |
| 2018 | #359 | 918 | 0.0506% |
| 2017 | #391 | 814 | 0.0440% |
| 2016 | #404 | 792 | 0.0417% |
| 2015 | #401 | 772 | 0.0403% |
| 2014 | #386 | 807 | 0.0420% |
| 2013 | #402 | 744 | 0.0393% |
| 2012 | #383 | 776 | 0.0409% |
| 2011 | #376 | 789 | 0.0415% |
| 2010 | #362 | 824 | 0.0430% |
| 2009 | #357 | 863 | 0.0435% |
| 2008 | #348 | 935 | 0.0458% |
| 2007 | #326 | 978 | 0.0471% |
| 2006 | #324 | 988 | 0.0481% |
| 2005 | #335 | 898 | 0.0450% |
| 2004 | #332 | 905 | 0.0456% |
| 2003 | #332 | 871 | 0.0441% |
| 2002 | #338 | 809 | 0.0417% |
| 2001 | #325 | 866 | 0.0446% |
| 2000 | #341 | 803 | 0.0409% |
| 1999 | #338 | 785 | 0.0409% |
| 1998 | #351 | 744 | 0.0389% |
| 1997 | #371 | 658 | 0.0349% |
| 1996 | #335 | 772 | 0.0408% |
| 1995 | #342 | 716 | 0.0376% |
| 1994 | #371 | 642 | 0.0332% |
| 1993 | #372 | 637 | 0.0325% |
| 1992 | #382 | 600 | 0.0300% |
| 1991 | #373 | 615 | 0.0304% |
| 1990 | #413 | 557 | 0.0271% |
| 1989 | #443 | 456 | 0.0228% |
| 1988 | #414 | 475 | 0.0248% |
| 1987 | #420 | 434 | 0.0232% |
| 1986 | #405 | 445 | 0.0242% |
| 1985 | #420 | 415 | 0.0225% |
| 1984 | #427 | 380 | 0.0211% |
| 1983 | #393 | 424 | 0.0237% |
| 1982 | #389 | 435 | 0.0240% |
| 1981 | #405 | 406 | 0.0227% |
| 1980 | #421 | 386 | 0.0216% |
| 1979 | #391 | 419 | 0.0243% |
| 1978 | #433 | 338 | 0.0206% |
| 1977 | #439 | 326 | 0.0198% |
| 1976 | #413 | 349 | 0.0222% |
| 1975 | #461 | 306 | 0.0196% |
| 1974 | #410 | 365 | 0.0232% |
| 1973 | #470 | 279 | 0.0179% |
| 1972 | #470 | 280 | 0.0173% |
| 1971 | #477 | 289 | 0.0163% |
| 1970 | #468 | 301 | 0.0162% |
| 1969 | #489 | 247 | 0.0138% |
| 1968 | #476 | 255 | 0.0147% |
| 1967 | #507 | 220 | 0.0126% |
| 1966 | #497 | 233 | 0.0131% |
| 1965 | #541 | 200 | 0.0108% |
| 1964 | #531 | 219 | 0.0110% |
| 1963 | #542 | 213 | 0.0105% |
| 1962 | #519 | 233 | 0.0113% |
| 1961 | #589 | 180 | 0.0085% |
| 1960 | #545 | 209 | 0.0098% |
| 1959 | #555 | 195 | 0.0091% |
| 1958 | #560 | 191 | 0.0090% |
| 1957 | #553 | 196 | 0.0091% |
| 1956 | #526 | 202 | 0.0095% |
| 1955 | #581 | 160 | 0.0078% |
| 1954 | #585 | 161 | 0.0079% |
| 1953 | #550 | 165 | 0.0084% |
| 1952 | #578 | 145 | 0.0075% |
| 1951 | #593 | 138 | 0.0073% |
| 1950 | #598 | 131 | 0.0073% |
| 1949 | #601 | 129 | 0.0073% |
| 1948 | #631 | 116 | 0.0066% |
| 1947 | #680 | 104 | 0.0057% |
| 1946 | #661 | 96 | 0.0059% |
| 1945 | #681 | 79 | 0.0059% |
| 1944 | #698 | 79 | 0.0058% |
| 1943 | #966 | 49 | 0.0034% |
| 1942 | #800 | 65 | 0.0047% |
| 1941 | #828 | 59 | 0.0048% |
| 1940 | #1,025 | 40 | 0.0035% |
| 1939 | #832 | 54 | 0.0049% |
| 1938 | #814 | 58 | 0.0052% |
| 1937 | #887 | 49 | 0.0046% |
| 1936 | #1,022 | 39 | 0.0038% |
| 1935 | #877 | 52 | 0.0050% |
| 1934 | #1,032 | 40 | 0.0039% |
| 1933 | #741 | 68 | 0.0069% |
| 1932 | #846 | 57 | 0.0055% |
| 1931 | #693 | 76 | 0.0073% |
| 1930 | #732 | 75 | 0.0068% |
| 1929 | #872 | 58 | 0.0054% |
| 1928 | #958 | 51 | 0.0046% |
| 1927 | #1,090 | 43 | 0.0038% |
| 1926 | #1,076 | 43 | 0.0039% |
| 1925 | #1,098 | 41 | 0.0037% |
| 1924 | #1,435 | 28 | 0.0025% |
| 1923 | #1,186 | 37 | 0.0034% |
| 1922 | #1,453 | 27 | 0.0025% |
| 1921 | #1,432 | 28 | 0.0025% |
| 1920 | #1,615 | 23 | 0.0022% |
| 1919 | #1,726 | 20 | 0.0020% |
| 1918 | #2,327 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1917 | #1,670 | 20 | 0.0022% |
| 1916 | #2,631 | 10 | 0.0011% |
| 1915 | #3,614 | 6 | 0.0007% |
| 1914 | #1,646 | 15 | 0.0023% |
| 1913 | #1,407 | 15 | 0.0029% |
| 1912 | #1,961 | 8 | 0.0019% |
| 1911 | #1,466 | 7 | 0.0031% |
| 1903 | #1,208 | 5 | 0.0042% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ismael Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Ismael's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ismael's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.