NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Ishaq

A masculine name of Semitic origin meaning "he will laugh".

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.

Ishaq is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Ishaq popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #622, with 64 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 69 births.

This profile covers 1,156 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.

The latest count is about 93% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,152 living people in the UK are called Ishaq. 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

  • Ishaq ranked #622 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 64 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2014, when 69 boys were registered as Ishaq.
  • Ishaq ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #648 in 2011.
  • About 1,152 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ishaq as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#622

2024

Births in 2024

64

Latest year

Peak year

2014

69 births

Estimated living

1,152

2026

Meaning

What does Ishaq mean?

The name Ishaq is derived from the Arabic language and has its origins in the Middle East. It is a variant spelling of the name Isaac, which has its roots in the Hebrew language. The name Isaac is believed to have originated from the Hebrew word "yitshaq," meaning "he laughs" or "he will laugh."

Ishaq is a name with significant historical and religious significance. In the Abrahamic faiths, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Isaac (or Ishaq) is considered a prominent figure. In the Bible and the Quran, he is described as the son of the patriarch Abraham and his wife Sarah.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Ishaq can be found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. In the Quran, Ishaq is referred to as a prophet and a righteous servant of God. The Quran also mentions the name in the context of Abraham's progeny, stating that both Ishaq and his son Jacob (Yaqub) were blessed by God.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ishaq. One of the earliest recorded examples is Ishaq ibn Amran (d. 799 CE), an Iraqi mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and geometry.

Another prominent figure is Ishaq al-Mawsili (767-850 CE), an Arab musician and singer who is considered a pioneer in the development of Arab classical music. He was renowned for his knowledge of music theory and his ability to compose and perform.

In Islamic literature, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh (778-853 CE) was a renowned Islamic scholar and hadith collector. He compiled one of the earliest collections of hadith (sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad), which became an important source for Islamic jurisprudence.

Ishaq ibn Hunayn (830-910 CE), also known as Isaac the Elder, was a Nestorian Christian philosopher and physician who made significant contributions to the translation of Greek scientific and philosophical texts into Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age.

In more recent history, Ishaq Chundrigar (1897-1960) was a prominent Pakistani politician and statesman who served as the first President of Pakistan from 1947 to 1948.

These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Ishaq throughout history. The name has maintained its significance and historical relevance across various cultures and time periods, particularly in the Middle East and among Arabic-speaking communities.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ishaq over time

The chart below shows babies named Ishaq registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, 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 Ishaq, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 64 births in 2024, compared with 69 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Ishaq
017355269199620102024

Decades

Ishaq by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ishaq 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 #703 264 5
2010s #643 567 10
2000s #839 283 10
1990s #1288 42 4

Geography

Where Ishaq is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ishaq. 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.

Ishaq ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #648 in 2011.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Ishaq in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#648 in 2011

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Ishaq

FAQ

Ishaq: questions and answers

How popular is the name Ishaq in the UK right now?

In 2024, Ishaq was ranked #622 for boys in England and Wales, with 64 births registered.

When was Ishaq most popular?

The peak year on record was 2014, with 69 babies registered as Ishaq in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ishaq?

A masculine name of Semitic origin meaning "he will laugh".

How many people are called Ishaq in the UK?

A total of 1,156 babies have been registered as Ishaq across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Ishaq most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Ishaq ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #648 in 2011. 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.