Ismail

Meaning: God hears
Origin: Hebrew — Arabic form 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) · #232 in Italy (2024) · #243 in England & Wales (2025) · #249 in Belgium (2025) · #252 in Norway (2025) · #272 in Sweden (2025) · #278 in Austria (2025) · #316 in Scotland (2025) · #395 in Netherlands (2025) · #410 in Switzerland (2025) · #515 in Canada (2025) and 4 more.

Famous Ismails

Ismail Kadare — Albanian writer (1936–2024)
Ismail I — Founder and first shah of Safavid Iran (1487–1524)
Ismail Omar Guelleh — President of Djibouti since 1999 (born 1947)
Ismail al-Faruqi — Palestinian-American Islamic scholar (1921–1986)
Ismail Kemal — Founder and first prime minister of Albania (1844–1919)
Ismail — Abraham's first son, who was to be offered as a sacrifice; later, an ancestor to Muhammad (born 1800 BCE)
Ismail Ibn Sharif — Sultan of Morocco from 1672 to 1727 (1645–1727)
Ismail Sabri Yaakob — Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2021 to 2022 (born 1960)
Ismail II — Safavid Shah of Iran from 1576 to 1577 (1533–1577)
Ismail Samani — Amir of the Samanid Empire from 892 to 907 (849–907)

What Ismails become

Among 1,129 notable people named Ismail:

Political leaders appear 2.21× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ismail Kemal, Founder and first prime minister of Albania (1844–1919).

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

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

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