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BabyNames
Boy name#1,297 of boy names

Ishmael

Pronounced IH1 SH M EY0 L (ARPABET)

  • 2 syllables
  • Peaked 2017
  • 145 years in use
  • Biblical
  • 1 spelling
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How popular is Ishmael?

Ishmael is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 6,879 children — the 1,297th most common boys' name on record.

Its use has been broadly flat across the past two decades. Its best single year was 2017, when 158 children were given it.

Ishmail is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.

05010015020018901920195019802010
2017158

Spelling variants

These spellings sound identical to Ishmael and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

  • Ishmail

Characteristics

  • Biblical (Person)
  • 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
IH1 SH M EY0 L · IH1 SH M IY0 L
Stress pattern:
10 · 10
Syllables:
2

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Ishmael

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Ishmael

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Ishmael?
Ishmael ranks 1,297th among boys' names in US records, with 6,879 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 1,345.
Is Ishmael a unisex name?
No. Ishmael is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Ishmael most popular?
2017, when 158 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Ishmael spelled?
Ishmail. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.