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Israel

boy name
Origin
Hebrew
Syllables
3
Peak era
2010s/2020s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Israel and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

traditionally "he who struggles with God"

Goes by Izzy. See all nicknames

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.

More names with stories →

How popular is Israel around the world?

In the United States, 8,742 babies were named Israel between 2020 and 2025. In Mexico City, there were 176 registrations of Israel in 2022.

Israel is on the official records of the United States, Mexico City, Brazil, Spain, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Canada, England and Wales, South Australia, Montevideo, France and Austria.

United States

1 in 2,500

In the United States, 8,742 babies were named Israel between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2010s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Israel peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure. Israel went to 1,642 US babies in 2015 and 1,123 in 2025, 68% of the earlier figure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

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Mexico City City

1 in 670

In Mexico City, there were 176 registrations of Israel in 2022.

peak 20042022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (4 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Brazil

1 in 2,000

At the 2022 census, 101,921 people in Brazil were named Israel, the 312th most common name, with a median age of 30.
Among people named Israel living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.

1930speak 1990s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 6,395 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Spain

1 in 2,200

In Spain, 20,176 residents are named Israel, the 152nd most common name among men, with a mean age of 35.9 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Chile

1 in 3,600

In Chile, 49 boys were registered as Israel in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 19832021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Argentina

1 in 4,000

In Argentina, 164 newborns were given the name Israel in 2024.

2012peak 2022

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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New Zealand

1 in 4,100

In New Zealand, 14 boys named Israel were registered in 2025.

1970peak 2012

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Canada

1 in 14,000

In Canada, 26 boys named Israel were born in 2024, the 977th most common name among boys that year.

1991peak 2020

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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England and Wales

1 in 15,000

In England and Wales, 39 boys named Israel were born in 2025, the 822nd most common name among boys that year.

1996peak 2022

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

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South Australia

1 in 18,000 · 2017

In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Israel in 2017.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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Montevideo City

1 in 25,000 · 2011

In Montevideo, 1 boy named Israel was born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

peak 19442011

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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France

1 in 64,000

In France, about 10 boys named Israel were born in 2025, ranked 2,745th among boys that year.

1900peak 2004

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. This registry counts each spelling separately; the figures above are for the exact spelling Israel, and accented spellings are separate names. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Austria

1 in 76,000

In Austria, 1 boy named Israel was born in 2025, ranked 1,842nd among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Ireland

last on record 2020

Israel is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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Poland

last on record 2022

Israel is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

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Puerto Rico

last on record 2022

Israel is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 398 babies have carried the name there since 1998.

peak 20012025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

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Scotland

last on record 2022

Israel is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

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.

Names that fit alongside Israel

Noah Jeremiah Adam Levi Elijah Jesus

Keep exploring

Names like Israel · Names that go with Israel · Nicknames for Israel · Middle names for Israel · Climbers and fallers

Name trails: explore connections from Israel →

The Israel deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

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.

Both reports, explained →

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