Isaak
He who laughs or rejoices; one who brings joy.
Name Census estimates that about 4,170 living Americans carry the first name Isaak. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Isaak today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Isaak births was 2009 (218 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Isaak. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Isaak with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.2K
~ 1 in 82,195 Americans
Peak year
2009
218 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,399
Tracked since 1976
Census
Isaak in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,029 people with the first name Isaak, which placed it at #4,567 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,567
National first-name rank
People counted
4.0K
4,029 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
56.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isaak
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Isaak is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Isaak described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Isaak at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.3% · 2,269
- Hispanic or Latino32.9% · 1,324
- Two or more races5.3% · 212
- Black or African American3.0% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 34
Popularity
Isaak: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Isaak from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,880 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isaak by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Isaak during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Isaaks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. California, Texas, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Isaak, while North Dakota, North Carolina, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 99 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Isaak
The given name Isaak originated from the Hebrew name Yitzchak, which means "he laughs" or "he will laugh". It is derived from the Hebrew verb tzahak, meaning "to laugh". The name traces its roots back to the biblical patriarch Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah, a prominent figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The name Isaak appeared in ancient Hebrew texts and scriptures, including the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. It is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, which details the life and struggles of Isaac, who was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, after being promised by God that they would have a son.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Isaak can be found in the ancient Hebrew texts, referring to the biblical figure Isaac. Throughout history, several notable figures have borne this name, including:
1. Isaac Newton (1642-1727), an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and natural philosopher, widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time.
2. Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), a Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry, known for his works of science fiction and popular science books.
3. Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991), a Polish-born Jewish-American writer and Nobel laureate in Literature, known for his short stories and novels depicting Jewish life in Poland and the United States.
4. Isaac Hayes (1942-2008), an American singer, songwriter, and actor, known for his influential work in the soul music genre and his iconic performance as the voice of Chef in the animated series South Park.
5. Isaac Stern (1920-2001), a Ukrainian-born American violinist and conductor, who made a significant contribution to the popularization of classical music in the United States.
The name Isaak has been used across various cultures and languages, with variations in spelling and pronunciation, such as Isaac, Izaak, and Itzak, among others. Its enduring presence throughout history reflects its significant cultural and religious roots, as well as its association with notable figures who have made lasting contributions in various fields.
People
Isaak + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Isaak as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Isaak: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Isaak?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,170 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Isaak going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 82,195 US residents.
Is Isaak a common name?
We classify Isaak as "Rare". It ranks above 96.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,223 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Isaak most popular?
The single biggest year for Isaak was 2009, when 218 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Isaak is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Isaak in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,029 people with the name Isaak, or 1.33 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,567 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Isaak in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Isaak?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Isaak appears almost entirely male. Of the 4,028 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Isaak?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Isaak is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Isaak most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Isaak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (2,269 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Isaak in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Isaak a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Isaak in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Isaak still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Isaak in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Isaak can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Isaak as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Isaak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.