Israella
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Strong one of God."
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the first name Israella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Israella today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Israella births was 2019 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Israella. 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 Israella with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
200
~ 1 in 1,713,772 Americans
Peak year
2019
22 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,147
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Israella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Israella from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 119 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Israella remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Israella 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 Israella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Israella
The name Israella is a feminine given name derived from the Hebrew name Yisrael, meaning "one who struggles with God" or "wrestles with God". This name has its roots in the biblical story of Jacob, who was given the name Israel after wrestling with an angel.
The name Israella likely emerged as a variation of the name Israel, with the addition of the feminine suffix "-a" or "-ella". This practice of creating feminine versions of names by adding suffixes was common in various cultures throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Israella can be found in the 17th century, when it was used by Jewish communities in Europe. During this period, the name Israella was sometimes spelled as "Isrella" or "Isrealla".
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Israella gained popularity among Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and Russia. It was often used to honor the biblical patriarch Jacob, who was later known as Israel.
Notable individuals with the name Israella throughout history include Israella Berman (1920-2005), a Polish-born American painter and sculptor known for her abstract expressionist works. Another notable figure was Israella Feld (1915-1994), a Ukrainian-born Israeli painter and sculptor who was part of the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem.
In the 20th century, the name Israella gained some popularity outside of Jewish communities, particularly in English-speaking countries. Israella Goldstein (1924-2002) was an American singer and actress who performed on Broadway and in various television shows.
Israella Margalit Soprano (1908-1981), an Israeli singer and actress, was a prominent figure in the early years of Israeli theater and film. She was known for her performances in Yiddish and Hebrew productions.
Another notable individual with the name Israella was Israella Kafrit (1932-2022), an Israeli journalist and author who wrote extensively about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and advocated for peace and human rights.
While the name Israella has its roots in Hebrew and Jewish culture, it has been used across various communities and regions throughout history, often reflecting the diverse cultural influences and interactions that have shaped naming traditions over time.
People
Israella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Israella 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
Israella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Israella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Israella 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 1,713,772 US residents.
Is Israella a common name?
We classify Israella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 201 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Israella most popular?
The single biggest year for Israella was 2019, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Israella is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Israella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Israella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Israella in the SSA data are female. 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 Israella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Israella 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 Israella 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Israella?
You can see how many Americans are named Israella on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.