Ishmael
#1,466 for boys in 2025, 121 births
- Peak · boys
- 1912 · 31 births
- Debut · boys
- 6 births
- In top 100 · boys
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 6,794since 1880
Ishmael over time
boys
Rank among boys' names. Ishmael has never cracked the top 700 here.
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | boys | |
|---|---|---|
| rank | births | |
| 2025 | #1,466 | 121 |
| 2024 | #1,487 | 121 |
| 2023 | #1,489 | 120 |
| 2022 | #1,731 | 97 |
| 2021 | #1,307 | 143 |
| 2020 | #1,271 | 144 |
| 2019 | #1,296 | 143 |
| 2018 | #1,305 | 139 |
| 2017 | #1,182 | 158 |
| 2016 | #1,349 | 132 |
| 2015 | #1,223 | 150 |
| 2014 | #1,264 | 141 |
| 2013 | #1,387 | 121 |
| 2012 | #1,336 | 127 |
| 2011 | #1,285 | 133 |
| 2010 | #1,470 | 111 |
| 2009 | #1,433 | 117 |
| 2008 | #1,582 | 100 |
| 2007 | #1,405 | 116 |
| 2006 | #1,391 | 114 |
| 2005 | #1,261 | 124 |
| 2004 | #1,225 | 124 |
| 2003 | #1,310 | 106 |
| 2002 | #1,184 | 118 |
| 2001 | #1,035 | 142 |
| 2000 | #1,015 | 144 |
| 1999 | #1,032 | 134 |
| 1998 | #953 | 146 |
| 1997 | #904 | 152 |
| 1996 | #926 | 141 |
| 1995 | #987 | 126 |
| 1994 | #1,005 | 122 |
| 1993 | #1,015 | 117 |
| 1992 | #1,033 | 112 |
| 1991 | #1,113 | 97 |
| 1990 | #1,176 | 86 |
| 1989 | #1,433 | 58 |
| 1988 | #1,815 | 37 |
| 1987 | #1,587 | 44 |
| 1986 | #1,403 | 50 |
| 1985 | #1,242 | 59 |
| 1984 | #1,190 | 59 |
| 1983 | #1,166 | 60 |
| 1982 | #1,242 | 56 |
| 1981 | #1,188 | 60 |
| 1980 | #1,238 | 55 |
| 1979 | #1,206 | 57 |
| 1978 | #1,410 | 43 |
| 1977 | #1,312 | 47 |
| 1976 | #1,608 | 33 |
| 1975 | #1,345 | 42 |
| 1974 | #1,215 | 47 |
| 1973 | #1,485 | 33 |
| 1972 | #1,871 | 23 |
| 1971 | #1,637 | 29 |
| 1970 | #2,125 | 18 |
| 1969 | #1,914 | 19 |
| 1968 | #1,836 | 19 |
| 1967 | #2,139 | 14 |
| 1966 | #2,216 | 13 |
| 1965 | #2,366 | 12 |
| 1964 | #1,850 | 19 |
| 1963 | #2,200 | 14 |
| 1962 | #2,186 | 14 |
| 1961 | #1,731 | 22 |
| 1960 | #2,871 | 9 |
| 1959 | #1,974 | 17 |
| 1958 | #2,265 | 13 |
| 1957 | #2,093 | 15 |
| 1956 | #2,361 | 12 |
| 1955 | #2,048 | 15 |
| 1954 | #1,706 | 20 |
| 1953 | #2,099 | 14 |
| 1952 | #1,615 | 22 |
| 1951 | #2,055 | 14 |
| 1950 | #1,572 | 22 |
| 1949 | #1,667 | 20 |
| 1948 | #2,115 | 13 |
| 1947 | #2,169 | 13 |
| 1946 | #1,884 | 15 |
| 1945 | #2,009 | 12 |
| 1944 | #2,633 | 8 |
| 1943 | #1,764 | 17 |
| 1942 | #1,585 | 20 |
| 1941 | #2,333 | 10 |
| 1940 | #1,627 | 18 |
| 1939 | #1,636 | 17 |
| 1938 | #1,613 | 18 |
| 1937 | #1,444 | 22 |
| 1936 | #1,384 | 23 |
| 1935 | #1,453 | 22 |
| 1934 | #1,323 | 26 |
| 1933 | #1,361 | 24 |
| 1932 | #1,387 | 25 |
| 1931 | #1,589 | 20 |
| 1930 | #1,428 | 26 |
| 1929 | #1,672 | 20 |
| 1928 | #1,413 | 27 |
| 1927 | #1,372 | 29 |
| 1926 | #1,018 | 46 |
| 1925 | #1,390 | 28 |
| 1924 | #1,532 | 25 |
| 1923 | #1,213 | 35 |
| 1922 | #1,158 | 38 |
| 1921 | #1,199 | 36 |
| 1920 | #1,180 | 37 |
| 1919 | #1,264 | 31 |
| 1918 | #1,343 | 28 |
| 1917 | #997 | 43 |
| 1916 | #892 | 49 |
| 1915 | #1,037 | 38 |
| 1914 | #907 | 36 |
| 1913 | #1,049 | 23 |
| 1912 | #783 | 31 |
| 1911 | #1,290 | 8 |
| 1910 | #1,118 | 9 |
| 1909 | — | |
| 1908 | — | |
| 1907 | #1,345 | 5 |
| 1906 | — | |
| 1905 | — | |
| 1904 | #1,064 | 6 |
| 1903 | — | |
| 1902 | — | |
| 1901 | #943 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | |
| 1899 | — | |
| 1898 | — | |
| 1897 | — | |
| 1896 | #1,101 | 5 |
| 1895 | — | |
| 1894 | — | |
| 1893 | #836 | 7 |
| 1892 | #1,066 | 5 |
| 1891 | — | |
| 1890 | — | |
| 1889 | — | |
| 1888 | — | |
| 1887 | — | |
| 1886 | — | |
| 1885 | — | |
| 1884 | — | |
| 1883 | — | |
| 1882 | — | |
| 1881 | — | |
| 1880 | #809 | 6 |
First appearance
1880
In the first year the SSA published name data, Ishmael was already there! It came in at #809, and was given to 6 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1881–1892, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.
Where Ishmael is popular in 1996
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
Top states · boys
- New Jersey#427 · 1 in 4,054
- South Carolina#494 · 1 in 3,931
- Wisconsin#532 · 1 in 5,856
- New York#580 · 1 in 5,654
- Georgia#629 · 1 in 5,384
Best ever in a state: #264 in Kentucky, 1914.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | #427 | 12 | 1 in 4,054 |
| South Carolina | #494 | 5 | 1 in 3,931 |
| Wisconsin | #532 | 5 | 1 in 5,856 |
| New York | #580 | 21 | 1 in 5,654 |
| Georgia | #629 | 9 | 1 in 5,384 |
| Pennsylvania | #691 | 7 | 1 in 9,764 |
| Florida | #819 | 9 | 1 in 9,432 |
| Texas | #984 | 11 | 1 in 14,168 |
| California | #1,101 | 13 | 1 in 19,504 |
| Illinois | #1,110 | 5 | 1 in 16,187 |
| Alabama | — | — | — |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
| Arizona | — | — | — |
| Arkansas | — | — | — |
| Colorado | — | — | — |
| Connecticut | — | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — |
| Hawaii | — | — | — |
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| Washington | — | — | — |
| West Virginia | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Ishmael
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
- 21 spots since 2024 (#1,487 → #1,466)
- 195 spots since 2020 (#1,271 → #1,466)
- 243 spots since 2015 (#1,223 → #1,466)
- Biggest jump: 507 spots in 1912 (#1,290 → #783)
- Biggest drop: 346 spots in 1918 (#997 → #1,343)
Rise & fade · boys
32 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1912 at #783 (31 births)
- Births halved by 1941, 29 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 11 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 11 yrs · run 1995–1998
Share of babies · boys
1 in 11,715
- Highest: 1 in 11,715 boys born in 2017 were named Ishmael (0.01%)
- Latest: 1 in 14,116 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
- Its best rank, #783 in 1912, was only 1 in 13,869 (0.01%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 2010s
- 19.9% of all boys named Ishmael (1,355) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 6 | #809 (1880) | #809 |
| 1890s | 17 | #836 (1893) | #1,001 |
| 1900s | 17 | #943 (1901) | #1,117 |
| 1910s | 296 | #783 (1912) | #1,068 |
| 1920s | 321 | #1,018 (1926) | #1,315 |
| 1930s | 223 | #1,323 (1934) | #1,462 |
| 1940s | 146 | #1,585 (1942) | #1,979 |
| 1950s | 164 | #1,572 (1950) | #1,979 |
| 1960s | 155 | #1,731 (1961) | #2,131 |
| 1970s | 372 | #1,206 (1979) | #1,521 |
| 1980s | 538 | #1,166 (1983) | #1,350 |
| 1990s | 1,233 | #904 (1997) | #1,014 |
| 2000s | 1,205 | #1,015 (2000) | #1,284 |
| 2010s | 1,355 | #1,182 (2017) | #1,310 |
| 2020s | 746 | #1,271 (2020) | #1,459 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Ishmael in 1996
boys
#926
141 births · 1 in 13,435 boys
Top boys' names in 1996
More about 1996
boys
1,894,300 boys got a published name in 1996; 1 in 13,435 of them was named Ishmael, which outranked 91.2% of the 10,536 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).