NameRealm
Israel

Israel: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“God contends”
Origin
Hebrew
Say it
IZ-ray-el · 3 syllables
Used for
Boys (98% of all uses)

From the Hebrew name Yisra'el in the Bible, borne by the patriarch Jacob. The exact interpretation is traditional but the first element refers to God.

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How popular is Israel?

2024378 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 Israel in 20241,258

2024 rank#279 boys

Peak year2007

Total US babies since 188071,727

Israel has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Israel

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • 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
  • DanielGod is my judge · Hebrew

Israel questions

What does the name Israel mean?

Israel means "God contends". It comes from Hebrew. From the Hebrew name Yisra'el in the Bible, borne by the patriarch Jacob. The exact interpretation is traditional but the first element refers to God.

Is Israel a boy or girl name?

Israel is mainly a boy's name in US records (98% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Israel?

1,258 US babies were named Israel in 2024. Its peak year was 2007.

How do you pronounce Israel?

Israel is usually pronounced IZ-ray-el.

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.