Isaac
Top 1000
About Isaac
Isaac has shaved off his biblical beard and leaped into the upper echelon of popular boys' names, outrunning cousin Isaiah. A favorite of the Puritans, Isaac has never dipped below Number 400 on the US list of top boy names.
Isaac evolved from the name Yitzchaq, derived from the Hebrew word tzachaq, meaning "to laugh." In the Old Testament, Isaac was the long-awaited son of the elderly Sarah and 100-year-old Abraham, so old that their news provoked laughter, giving the name its meaning. Isaac is used as a given name among Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.
A baby given this name can point to many distinguished namesakes, including Isaacs (and Izaaks) Newton, Walton, Bashevis Singer, Asimov, Stern, Hayes, and Hanson.
Isaac also boasts the cute nicknames of Izzy — now shared, however, with a bevy of Isabellas — and Ike.
Pronounced EYE-zack.
As of October 2026, Isaac ranked #47 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #28 in 2013, Nameberry popularity #144.
Editor's take: The name Isaac is a boy's name of Hebrew, Aboriginal origin meaning "laughter".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #31 | 9,994 | 5,202.8 |
| 2015 | #31 | 9,986 | 5,209.9 |
| 2016 | #31 | 9,774 | 5,150.3 |
| 2017 | #32 | 8,891 | 4,803.5 |
| 2018 | #34 | 8,502 | 4,681.3 |
| 2019 | #34 | 8,228 | 4,585.8 |
| 2020 | #39 | 7,149 | 4,141.8 |
| 2021 | #40 | 6,982 | 3,990.9 |
| 2022 | #41 | 6,745 | 3,863.1 |
| 2023 | #42 | 6,606 | 3,861.9 |
| 2024 | #40 | 6,498 | 3,771.6 |
| 2025 | #47 | 5,953 | 3,485.2 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Isaac.
- Gabriel
- Nathaniel
- Caleb
- Ethan
- Isaiah
- Luke
- Zachary
- Samuel
- Elijah
- Nathan
- Alexander
- Jonah
- Jacob
- Josiah
- Nicholas
- Julian
- Andrew
- Benjamin
- Evan
- Lucas
Isaac on lists
Famous Isaacs
- Isaac
Biblical patriarch; son of Abraham and father of Jacob
- Isaac I Komnenos
Byzantine emperor
- Isaac II Angelos
Byzantine emperor
- Isaac Newton
English physicist
- Isaac Asimov (born Isaak Azimov)
American novelist
- Isaac Thompson Carree III
American gospel singer
- Isaac Lee Hayes
Jr., American R&B musician and actor
- Isaac Shelby
US politician; 1st and 5th Governor of Kentucky
- Isaac Stern
American violinist
- Isaac Redman
American football player
- Isaac Bashevis Singer (born Izaak Zynger)
Polish,American novelist
- Isaac Emmanuilovich Babel
Russian journalist and revolutionary
- Isaac Brock
British general and Lieutenant Governor of Canada
- Isa'ako "Isaac" Sopoaga
American football player
- Isaac Edward Slade
lead singer of American band The Fray
- Isaac Guillory
American guitarist
- (Clarke) Isaac Hanson
American musician of the band Hanson
- Isaac Frye
Member of YouTube channel VenturianTale
- Jerome Isaac Jones
American R&B/rapper
- Isaac Graves
son of English actor Rupert Graves
- Isaac Hayden McHale
son of American actor Joel McHale
- Isaac Ng
son of Youtuber Lindy Tsang
- Isaac Butterfield
Australian comedian
- Isaac Elliot Rivera (b. 2010)
son of Kailyn Marroquin and Jo Rivera of "Teen Mom 2"
- River Isaac Ruah Olsen
son of actress Daniela Ruah
- Isaac (b. 2020)
son of Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin.
Isaac in pop culture
- Isaac Davis
character in "Manhattan"
- Isaac Taylor
character on the show "The Beautiful Life"
- Isaac
character in Golden Sun video games
- Isaac Lahey
character on the show "Teen Wolf"
- Isaac
character in John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars"
- Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs
character in "The Wizard Of Oz"
- Isaac
false child prophet in "Children of the Corn"
- Isaac
Robot character in Science Fiction comedy TV Series "The Orville"
- Isaac
main protagonist in game "The Binding of Isaac"
- Isaac Washington
character on TV's "The Love Boat"