boy's name
Isaiah
eye-ZAY-uh
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 274,216
the United States
#57
2025 births
Isaiah is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is salvation," from Yesha'yahu. He is the prophet of the eighth century BC whose book supplies some of the most quoted passages in the Hebrew Bible, including the image of swords beaten into plowshares.
- Isaiah is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2006, when 10,483 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 629 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Isaiah over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 304 |
| 1890s | 264 |
| 1900s | 263 |
| 1910s | 845 |
| 1920s | 1,262 |
| 1930s | 1,039 |
| 1940s | 1,194 |
| 1950s | 1,180 |
| 1960s | 727 |
| 1970s | 1,583 |
| 1980s | 6,765 |
| 1990s | 36,756 |
| 2000s | 93,053 |
| 2010s | 76,458 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 33,017 |
What Isaiah means
Isaiah means Yahweh is salvation, combining yasha, to save or deliver, with Yah, a shortened form of the divine name. It belongs to the same family as Joshua and Jesus, which are built from the same root.
Where Isaiah comes from
Isaiah comes from the Hebrew Yesha'yahu, from yasha, meaning to save, and Yah. The prophet Isaiah preached in Jerusalem in the eighth century BC, and the book bearing his name is generally understood by scholars to combine his work with that of later writers, a distinction usually described as First and Second Isaiah. Its language has had an outsized effect on English through the King James Bible — swords into plowshares, the voice crying in the wilderness, and a great deal of the imagery used in Handel's Messiah. The Greek and Latin forms gave English the alternative Esaias. Isaiah entered wider English use after the Reformation.
Isaiah in use
Isaiah, Joshua, and Jesus are built from the same Hebrew root meaning salvation.
How popular is Isaiah?
In 2025, Isaiah was given to 5,273 babies in the United States, ranking #57 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Isaiah is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Isaiah is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Isaïah | Isaïah is Isaiah written with a diaeresis, used in France, where it ranks #170. | 2,585 |
Names that peaked alongside Isaiah
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Isaiah also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Isaiah over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Isaiah
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Isaiah in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Isaiah
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Isaiah — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Isaiah
What does the name Isaiah mean?
Isaiah means "Yahweh is salvation," from the Hebrew Yesha'yahu.
Who was Isaiah in the Bible?
An eighth-century BC prophet in Jerusalem whose book is among the most quoted in the Hebrew Bible.
Is Isaiah related to Joshua?
Yes. Both are built from the Hebrew root yasha, meaning to save.
How popular is the name Isaiah?
In 2025, Isaiah was given to 5,273 babies in the United States, ranking #57 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Isaiah a girl's or a boy's name?
Isaiah is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Isaiah?
Isaiah has 3 syllables.
When was Isaiah most popular?
Isaiah peaked in 2006, when 10,483 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Isaiah?
Isaiah is usually shortened to Zay and Izzy.
Is Isaiah a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Isaiah currently ranks #57 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.