Israel
Meaning
traditionally "he who struggles with God"
Goes by Izzy
The story
Israel is a name earned in a wrestling match. In Genesis, Jacob grapples through the night with a mysterious stranger and refuses to let go without a blessing; the new name he receives is traditionally read as he who struggles with God, and it went on to name a people, a kingdom, and a modern nation. As a personal name it has been carried by Jewish families for many centuries and is warmly used in Spanish-speaking communities as well. The American records reflect that steadiness: Israel kept a modest, unbroken presence from the 1890s onward, neither rare nor common, then began a gradual climb in the 1990s that has continued ever since, making recent decades its strongest on record. Some names are simply given; this one, in the old story, had to be won.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Israel peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Popularity in Brazil
101,921 people · the #312 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,992 · median age 30
Among people named Israel living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 6,395 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Israel
Most people given the name Israel in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Israel deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Israel truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Israel fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Israel · Nicknames for Israel · Middle names for Israel
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