boy's name
Ismael
ees-ma-EL
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 75,522
the United States
#263
2025 births
Ismael is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God will hear," the son of Abraham and Hagar and a prophet in Islam. It ranks forty-ninth in France as Ismaël and 263rd in the United States, and is rising in both.
- Ismael is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 2024, when 1,535 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,537 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1903.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ismael over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 114 |
| 1920s | 379 |
| 1930s | 569 |
| 1940s | 817 |
| 1950s | 1,684 |
| 1960s | 2,208 |
| 1970s | 3,263 |
| 1980s | 4,275 |
| 1990s | 6,753 |
| 2000s | 8,932 |
| 2010s | 8,114 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,176 |
What Ismael means
Ismael means God will hear, or God has heard. It joins the Hebrew shama, to hear, with el, God, and the name is explained in Genesis itself, where an angel tells Hagar the Lord has heard her affliction.
Where Ismael comes from
Ismael renders the Hebrew Yishma'el, God will hear, and the Arabic Isma'il. In Genesis he is the son of Abraham by Hagar, sent away with his mother into the wilderness of Beersheba; in Islamic tradition he settles at Mecca with her, and the running between Safa and Marwa in the Hajj commemorates her search for water. He is regarded as the ancestor of the northern Arab tribes and, in Muslim belief, is the son Abraham was asked to sacrifice. The name is common across the Arabic-speaking world and Latin America alike, which is why it is one of the few in the French top fifty with substantial American numbers.
Ismael in use
Ismael ranks forty-ninth in France as Ismaël with about 1,320 births in 2025, and 263rd in the United States, where the unaccented spelling is used. Its peak in our records is 2024, so it is rising in both markets at once. That dual strength is unusual: most names in this part of the French list are either French-only or Arabic-community names with little American presence.
How popular is Ismael?
In 2025, Ismael was given to 1,307 babies in the United States, ranking #263 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Ismael 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 Ismael is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Ismaël | Ismaël is Ismael written with a diaeresis in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #49 in France, against #207 for Ismael. | 13,910 |
| Ismaél | Ismaél is a rare spelling of Ismael, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
| Ismaêl | Ismaêl is a rare spelling of Ismael, written with a circumflex and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Ismael
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ismael also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ismael over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Ismael 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 Ismael
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ismael — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ismael
What does the name Ismael mean?
Ismael means "God will hear," from the Hebrew shama, to hear, and el, God.
Who was Ismael?
The son of Abraham and Hagar, a prophet in Islam and regarded as an ancestor of the northern Arab tribes.
Is Ismael the same as Ishmael?
Yes. Ishmael is the English biblical spelling, Ismail the Arabic, Ismaël the French.
How popular is Ismael?
Forty-ninth in France and 263rd in the United States, rising in both.
Is Ismael a girl's or a boy's name?
Ismael is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ismael?
Ismael has 2 syllables.
Is Ismael a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ismael currently ranks #49 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.