2000
#2,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,379
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.33
Uncommon Last name
Isaacs
Derived from the given name Isaac, meaning "one who laughs" or "laughter" in Hebrew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,528 Americans carry the last name Isaacs. That puts it at #2,445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,738 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Isaacs surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Isaacs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,738
Census rank
#2,445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,413 bearers of the surname Isaacs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Isaacs, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Isaacs
The surname Isaacs has its origins in the ancient Hebrew name Isaac, which means "he laughs" or "he will laugh." The name can be traced back to the biblical figure Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah, whose birth was a source of laughter for his aged parents.
The name Isaacs first appeared in England in the 12th century, after the expulsion of Jews from France and Germany. Many Jewish families settled in England, bringing with them their traditional Hebrew names. The Isaacs surname quickly gained prominence among the Jewish community in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Isaacs surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1194, which mentions a person named Ysaac de Sancto Botulpho. This suggests that the name had already established itself in England by the late 12th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Isaacs surname was associated with several prominent individuals. One notable figure was Rabbi Judah ben Isaac, a 13th-century English scholar and physician who served as a court physician to King Henry III. Another was Benedict Isaacs, a 14th-century English Jew who was arrested and hanged during the Edwardian expulsion of Jews from England in 1290.
In the 16th century, the Isaacs surname gained recognition in the Netherlands, where it was often spelled as Isaacsen or Isacsz. One prominent bearer of the name was Abraham Isaacsen, a 16th-century Dutch rabbi and scholar who wrote extensively on Jewish law and philosophy.
The 17th century saw the emergence of several notable Isaacs in England. Sir Samuell Isaacson (1633-1720) was an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1692. Another prominent figure was Henry Isaacs (1670-1735), an English playwright and author known for his satirical works.
The 18th century brought forth notable figures like Ralph Isaacs (1720-1805), an English merchant and financier who amassed a considerable fortune through international trade. In the United States, Miriam Cohen Isaacs (1756-1847) was a prominent Jewish educator and philanthropist who founded the first Hebrew school in Richmond, Virginia.
The 19th century saw the rise of several influential Isaacs, including John Dore Isaacs (1795-1887), an English composer and music critic who wrote extensively on musical theory. In the United States, Albert Isaacs (1826-1904) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as the Mayor of Baltimore from 1887 to 1891.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isaacs
Among Census respondents with the surname Isaacs, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Isaacs bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Isaacs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 11,623
- Black or African American9.9% · 1,423
- Two or more races4.2% · 605
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 406
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 169
Timeline
Historical Census data for Isaacs
Isaacs appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,951
+572 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 5.07
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#2,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,413
-538 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.82
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,306 | 14,379 | 5.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,422 | 14,951 | 5.07 | +572 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #2,445 | 14,413 | 4.82 | -538 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 23 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Isaacs surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,422 | #2,445 | -0.9% |
| Count | 14,951 | 14,413 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.07 | 4.82 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Isaacs bearers went from 14,951 to 14,413 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,422 to #2,445.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Isaacs
FAQ
Isaacs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Isaacs?
Name Census estimates that about 16,528 living Americans carry the surname Isaacs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,738 residents.
How common is Isaacs?
Isaacs ranks #2,445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,413 people with the surname Isaacs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,528), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Isaacs.
Has Isaacs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Isaacs went from 14,951 recorded bearers to 14,413. That is a decrease of 538 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,422 to #2,445.
What does the Census say about the background of Isaacs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Isaacs, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Isaacs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (11,623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Isaacs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (9.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Isaacs (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Isaacs mean?
Derived from the given name Isaac, meaning "one who laughs" or "laughter" in Hebrew. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Isaacs (4.82 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Isaacs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.