UK name, mostly boys
Isa
An Arabic name for boys meaning "life" or "servant of God".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Isa is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Isa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #252, with 190 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 190 births.
This profile covers 2,943 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Isa is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 2,957 living people in the UK are called Isa. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Isa ranked #252 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 190 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 190 boys were registered as Isa.
- • Isa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #535 in 2024.
- • About 2,957 living people in the UK are estimated to have Isa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 96.8% of Isa registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#252
2024
Births in 2024
190
Latest year
Peak year
2024
190 births
Estimated living
2,957
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Isa
In England and Wales birth records, Isa has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 96.8% of registrations are for boys and 3.2% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Isa registered for boys
- Ranked #252 in 2024
- 190 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (190 births)
Isa registered for girls
- Ranked #4,192 in 2024
- 5 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2013 (7 births)
Meaning
What does Isa mean?
The name Isa has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, believed to have emerged during the early Islamic period around the 7th century AD. It is a variant spelling of the name Isa, which is the Arabic form of the name Jesus.
The name Isa traces its roots to the Semitic root word 'ysh', meaning 'to save' or 'to deliver'. It is derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua, which was later Hellenized as Iesous and then Latinized as Iesus. The name Isa is mentioned several times in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as a reference to Jesus Christ.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Isa can be found in the Quran itself, where Jesus is referred to as Isa ibn Maryam (Isa, son of Mary). The Quran speaks highly of Isa as a prophet and messenger of God, and he is revered as a significant figure in Islamic tradition.
Throughout history, the name Isa has been borne by several notable figures, including Isa ibn Musa al-Qazwini (1203-1283), a Persian scholar and writer who authored works on geography and natural history. Another prominent individual with this name was Isa ibn Ali al-Nuri (1839-1892), a Sudanese Islamic scholar and religious leader.
In the realm of literature, Isa ibn Hisham (d. 833) was an early Arabic philologist and grammarian who wrote commentaries on the works of ancient Arabic poets. Isa ibn Masah (d. 942) was a renowned physician and scholar from Baghdad, known for his contributions to the field of medicine.
More recently, Isa Boletini (1864-1916) was an Albanian revolutionary and a key figure in the struggle for Albanian independence from the Ottoman Empire. He is considered a national hero in Albania.
The name Isa has been used across various cultures and regions influenced by Islamic traditions, and its meaning and significance are deeply rooted in the Islamic faith and reverence for the Prophet Jesus.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Isa over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Isa in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Isa, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 190 births in 2024, compared with 190 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isa by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Isa was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #343 | 672 | 5 |
| 2010s | #338 | 1,335 | 10 |
| 2000s | #404 | 849 | 10 |
| 1990s | #758 | 87 | 4 |
Geography
Where Isa is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Isa. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Isa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #535 in 2024.
Across the UK
Isa in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#535 in 2024
9 years of NRS records, 33 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Isa
-
Isa Briones
actor
American actor (born 1999)
1999-
-
Isa Guha
sports commentator; cricketer
England cricketer (born 1985)
1985-
-
Isa Benzie
broadcaster
British radio broadcaster
1902-1988
-
Isa Bowman
writer; biographer; model
British actress (1874–1958)
1874-1958
-
Isa Knox
writer; editor; poet; essayist; women's rights activist
Scottish poet, editor
1831-1903
Related
Names similar to Isa
- Isaac 49,129
- Ibrahim 14,115
- Ismail 4,679
- Isaiah 4,629
- Idris 3,810
- Ivan 3,146
- Ian 2,805
- Ilyas 2,552
- Ieuan 2,515
- Ibraheem 2,384
- Ioan 2,295
- Imran 2,176
FAQ
Isa: questions and answers
How popular is the name Isa in the UK right now?
In 2024, Isa was ranked #252 for boys in England and Wales, with 190 births registered.
When was Isa most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 190 babies registered as Isa in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Isa?
An Arabic name for boys meaning "life" or "servant of God".
How many people are called Isa in the UK?
A total of 2,943 babies have been registered as Isa across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 33 more in Scotland.
Where is Isa most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Isa ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #535 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.