Ismail

Meaning: God hears; God will hear
Origin: Arabic (from Hebrew) — Variant of Ishmael

Nicknames: Izzy

Boy's name · #1065 in the US (2025) · Trending

Popularity over time

Ismail is moving up the charts. First recorded in 1962, it stood at #1065 in 2025 — its strongest showing yet; about 4,000 boys have been named Ismail along the way.

Across the states

See where Ismail is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 11 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Ismail ranks in other countries and regions.

#14 in Bosnia (FBiH) (2025) · #126 in France (2025) · #243 in England & Wales (2025) · #252 in Belgium (2025) · #252 in Norway (2025) · #272 in Sweden (2025) · #278 in Austria (2025) · #321 in Scotland (2025) · #395 in Netherlands (2025) · #410 in Switzerland (2025) · #620 in Ireland (2025) · #567 in Canada (2024).

Famous Ismails

Ismail Kadare — Albanian writer (1936–2024)
Ismail I — Founder and first shah of Safavid Iran
Ismail Omar Guelleh — French politician (born 1947)
Ismail al-Faruqi — Palestinian-American Muslim philosopher and scholar (1921–1986)
Ismail Kemal — Prime Minister of Albania (1844–1919)

What Ismails become

Among 1,129 notable people named Ismail:

Political leaders appear 2.21× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ismail Omar Guelleh, French politician (born 1947).

Spellings & nicknames

About 110 girls a year are given Izzy as their full name.

Similar names: Ishmael · Tzvi · Yisroel · Zakariya · Haziel · Gavriel

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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