Total births
71,237
Boys' name · since 1880
Israel
71,237 babies named Israel in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2007. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #278
- among boys today
- 71,237
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Israel currently ranks #278 among boys' names in America, with 71,237 babies recorded since 1880.
Israel has 71,237 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #278 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 1880 to 2025.
- #278 among boys today
- 71,237 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Israel is currently the #278 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 71,237 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #278
- among boys today
- 71,237
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Israel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#278
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Israel was born in this single decade.
2007
Single peak year
1,937 babies were named Israel in 2007 - its busiest year on record.
How Israel compares
71,237 Top 3% higher than 97% of 14,294 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
Israel's all-time total is 194x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Israel | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 71,237 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,937 | 23 | 22,252 |
Israel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Israel's full recorded timeline at 1953, 93% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 7% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1897, with just 11 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2007 peak of 1,937 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Israel at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2007
Current rank
#278
Active since
1880
Israel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2007)
- 1,937
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Israel popularity over time - girls
1,637 total births recorded since 1951 (Israel as girls' name)
Israel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Israel's strongest decade.
16,151 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Israel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 202
1880s
202 births
- 1890s 164
1890s
164 births
- 1900s 210
1900s
210 births
- 1910s 1,051
1910s
1,051 births
- 1920s 1,110
1920s
1,110 births
- 1930s 775
1930s
775 births
- 1940s 965
1940s
965 births
- 1950s 1,853
1950s
1,853 births
- 1960s 2,674
1960s
2,674 births
- 1970s 5,386
1970s
5,386 births
- 1980s 6,315
1980s
6,315 births
- 1990s
1990s
10,173 births
- 2000s
2000s
16,151 births
- 2010s
2010s
15,775 births
- 2020s
2020s
8,433 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 16,151 births (23% of all-time use).
How Israel 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 Israel's total volume
Israel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Israel by state
Where Israel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 15,118 | 21.2% |
| #2 | California | | 14,730 | 20.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 7,146 | 10.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,793 | 3.9% |
| #5 | Florida | | 2,778 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Arizona | | 2,183 | 3.1% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 1,566 | 2.2% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 1,555 | 2.2% |
Texas share of Israel's total US births 21.2%
Even split
15,118 of 71,237 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Israel appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Israel? ▼
Israel has been given to 71,237 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #278 as of the latest data. 1,937 babies were born in 2007, its single highest year.
When was Israel most popular? ▼
Israel was most popular in the 2000s decade with 16,151 total births. The single peak year was 2007.
Where is Israel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Israel are Texas (15,118 births), California (14,730 births), New York (7,146 births).
How long has the name Israel been used? ▼
Israel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Israel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Isreal, Isrrael, Isra, Israfil, and 3 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Israel's data
- Israel's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (16,151 total births) through the 2020s (8,433) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Israels (15,118 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Israel
Nearby Names Like Israel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Israel
Isreal Boy
#3986 4,664 births
Isrrael Boy
562 births
Isra Boy
#10709 22 births
Israfil Boy
21 births
Israyel Boy
7 births
Compare Israel side by side: Israel vs Isreal Israel vs Isrrael Israel vs Isra
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Israel
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Israel: #278 Boys' Name - 71,237 Births, Peak 2007." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/israel. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Israel 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 June 2026.