Boys' name · since 1903
Ismael
44,216 babies named Ismael in U.S. Social Security records since 1903, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #544 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #263 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 44,216
- born since 1903
- 2000s
- peak decade
44,216 babies have been named Ismael since 1903, making it today's #263 boys' name.
Ismael has 44,216 recorded births among boys since 1903, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #263 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1903 to 2025.
- #544 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #263 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 44,216 born since 1903
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ismael ranks #544 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #263 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 44,216 born since 1903, peaking in the 2000s.
- #544 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #263 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 44,216
- born since 1903
- 2000s
- peak decade
Ismael's 44,216 recorded births place it above 98.8% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Ismael compares
44,216 Top 4% higher than 96% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Ismael's all-time total is 120x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ismael | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 44,216 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,535 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ismael's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ismael's full recorded timeline at 1968, 88% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 12% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1903, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2024 peak of 1,535 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ismael popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1903–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 1,535
- Annual births at peak, across 123 years of records
Ismael popularity over time - girls
73 total births recorded since 1976 (Ismael as girls' name)
Ismael by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (8,916 births, 20% of the file).
2000s was Ismael's strongest decade.
8,916 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Ismael births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 114
1910s
114 births
- 1920s 379
1920s
379 births
- 1930s 569
1930s
569 births
- 1940s 817
1940s
817 births
- 1950s 1,684
1950s
1,684 births
- 1960s 2,208
1960s
2,208 births
- 1970s 3,252
1970s
3,252 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,256 births
- 1990s
1990s
6,726 births
- 2000s
2000s
8,916 births
- 2010s
2010s
8,114 births
- 2020s
2020s
7,176 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 8,916 births (20% of all-time use).
How Ismael compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Ismael's total volume
Ismael by state
Where Ismael concentrates geographically, total births since 1903
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12,683 | 28.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 10,511 | 23.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 3,684 | 8.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,026 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 1,748 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Florida | | 1,594 | 3.6% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 1,136 | 2.6% |
| #8 | Washington | | 730 | 1.7% |
12,683 of 44,216 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Ismael appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ismael? ▼
Where does Ismael sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ismael most popular? ▼
Where is Ismael most popular? ▼
How long has the name Ismael been used? ▼
What names are similar to Ismael? ▼
What to do with Ismael's data
- Ismael's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (8,916 total births) through the 2020s (7,176) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Ismaels (12,683 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ismael
Nearby Names Like Ismael
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ismael
Compare Ismael side by side: Ismael vs Ismail Ismael vs Ismaeel Ismael vs Ismar
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ismael
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ismael: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~122 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1903–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ismael draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.