NameRealm
Ishmael

Ishmael: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“God hears”
Origin
Hebrew
Say it
ISH-may-uhl · 3 syllables
Used for
Boys

Biblical name from Hebrew Yishma'el. In the Bible, Ishmael is the son of Abraham and Hagar; Arabic Ismail is the cognate form.

Hebrew namesEnglish namesArabic namesNames meaning faithBiblical namesClassic namesInternational names

How popular is Ishmael?

202436.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Ishmael in 2024119

2024 rank#1,499 boys

Peak year2017

Total US babies since 18806,671

Ishmael has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Ishmael

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • IsmailGod will hear · Arabic
  • Noahrest; comfort · Hebrew
  • Jamessupplanter · Hebrew
  • Elijahmy God is Yahweh · Hebrew
  • JohnYahweh is gracious · Hebrew
  • Michaelwho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Benjaminson of the right hand · Hebrew
  • Levijoined, attached · Hebrew

Ishmael questions

What does the name Ishmael mean?

Ishmael means "God hears". It comes from Hebrew. Biblical name from Hebrew Yishma'el. In the Bible, Ishmael is the son of Abraham and Hagar; Arabic Ismail is the cognate form.

Is Ishmael a boy or girl name?

Ishmael is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ishmael?

119 US babies were named Ishmael in 2024. Its peak year was 2017.

How do you pronounce Ishmael?

Ishmael is usually pronounced ISH-may-uhl.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.