Holding steady.
Popularity of Ishmel since 1916
Babies named Ishmel per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2000, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Ishmel's real moment was 1923.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 13 |
| 1920s | 54 |
| 1930s | 19 |
| 1940s | 10 |
| 1950s | 5 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 10 |
| 1980s | 22 |
| 1990s | 80 |
| 2000s | 60 |
| 2010s | 18 |
| 2020s | 6 |
Meaning & origin
Ishmel is a rare biblical variant of Ishmael, first recorded in U.S. data in 1916. It saw its highest usage in 1923 with a peak rank just outside the top 1000, with roughly 5 per million births that year. Since then, the name has remained stable but extremely uncommon, typically given to fewer than 5 boys annually. Ishmel has never been associated with any top states, reflecting its scattered, low-frequency use. For parents seeking a distinctive name with deep biblical roots, Ishmel offers a less common alternative to the standard Ishmael.
Ishmel is a variant of Ishmael, from the Hebrew Yishma'el, meaning 'God will hear.' In the Book of Genesis, Ishmael is the first son of Abraham and Hagar, and is considered a prophet in Islam and a patriarch in Judaism and Christianity. The name has been used in English-speaking countries since the Protestant Reformation, though it has always been less common than its biblical counterpart.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Ish, Mel, Izzy
Sibling names for Ishmel
Names that share Ishmel's style, for a brother or sister.
