Derived from the Hebrew יִצְחָק (Yitzhak), the name Isaac means “one who laughs” or “one who rejoices.” In the Old Testament of the Bible, Isaac is the firstborn son of Abraham. He is one of the three biblical patriarchs revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
How Popular Is the Name Isaac?
A popular name in the early 20th century, Isaac lost favor for several decades before making a recent comeback. It rejoined the top 100 in 1995 and has remained there ever since, climbing to No. 28 in 2013 and coming in at No. 39 in 2020. Although the name Isaac is typically used as a masculine name, it can certainly be used however you see fit, as sex doesn’t have to be a part of your name selection process.
Name Variations
Isaac has been shortened to Ise, Ike, or Ikey. As a biblical name, Isaac has an equivalent in virtually every known language. These include:
Ihaka (Māori)Iisakki (Finnish)Íosác (Irish)Isaak (Dutch)Isaák (Greek)Isac (Romanian)Isacco (Italian)Isak (Danish)Ísak (Icelandic)Isaka (Swahili)Isaque (Portuguese)Ishak (Indonesian)İshak (Turkish)Isḥāq (Arabic)Itzak (Yiddish)Izak (Croatian)Izák (Czech)Izarak (Creole)Izsák (Hungarian)Izaokas (Lithuanian)Izaak (Polish)Yitzhak (Hebrew)
Similar Names
Parents looking for a girl’s name similar to Isaac have used Isaaca as a feminine equivalent. But Isaaca has never caught on as a common name. Some parents have preferred more traditional feminine names starting with Isa-, such as Isabel/Isabella or Isadora. Other boy names starting with I:
Ichabod Ignatius Igor Ilan Immanuel Ira Irvin Irving Irwin Isadore Isaiah Ishmael Ivan
Other boy names from the Old Testament:
AaronAbrahamElijahEzraDanielDavidJacobJoshuaNathanNoahSamsonSeth
Suggested Sibling Names
AidenChristopherEmmanuelLoganJacksonEmmaHarperMiaOliviaSophia
Famous People Named Isaac
Over the years, many people have had the name Isaac. Below are a few of the most notable.
Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composerIsaac Asimov, Russian-born American writer and biochemistIsaac Barrow, English theologian and mathematicianIsaac Boleslavsky, Soviet chess grandmasterIsaac Brock, American musician, lead singer for the band Modest MouseIsaac Casaubon, French-born English classical scholar and philologistIsaac Hanson, American musician, guitarist for the band HansonIsaac Hayes, American singer-songwriter who won an Academy Award for the song “Theme from Shaft”Isaac Heller, American toy manufacturer, co-founder of RemcoIsaac Kashdan, American chess grandmasterIsaac Luria, Jewish rabbi and mystical philosopherIsaac Newton English mathematician, astronomer, and physicistIsaac Peral, Spanish engineer, naval officer and designer of the Peral SubmarineIsaac Leib Peretz, Polish-born Yiddish language author and playwrightIsaac Pitman, English inventor of shorthand/stenographyIsaac Shelby, the first governor of the state of KentuckyIsaac Singer, American inventor and businessman known for developing the Singer sewing machineIsaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-born American author, Nobel prize literature 1978Isaac Slade, American musician, lead singer for the band The FrayIsaac Stern, Ukrainian-born American violinist and conductorIsaac Titsingh, Dutch surgeon, scholar, merchant-trader and ambassadorIsaac Watts, English Christian minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logicianIsaac Hirsch Weiss, Austrian historian of literature and Talmudist
Top 1,000 Baby Boy Names 100 Gender-Neutral Baby Names 100 Biblical Baby Names
