Ishmael is a boy name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ishmael means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ishmael across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ishmael has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ishmael is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “God will hear”. In the Bible a son of Abraham and Hagar.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 6,794 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 442 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ishmael per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2017 (158/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2010 (30/yr).
Ishmael is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2017, when it ranked #2,584 nationally (given to 179 babies that year).
Ishamel · Ishmeal · Ishmail · Ishmel · Ishmil · Yoshmel
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