UK boy's name
Issac
Of Hebrew origin, denoting "he will laugh" or "he laughs".
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.
Issac is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Issac popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #560, with 68 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 114 births.
This profile covers 1,474 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,521 living people in the UK are called Issac. 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
- • Issac ranked #560 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 68 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 114 boys were registered as Issac.
- • Issac ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
- • About 1,521 living people in the UK are estimated to have Issac as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#560
2024
Births in 2024
68
Latest year
Peak year
2019
114 births
Estimated living
1,521
2026
Meaning
What does Issac mean?
The name Isaac has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name "Yitzchak," meaning "he will laugh" or "he laughs." This name is rooted in the biblical story of Abraham and Sarah, who were promised a son in their old age and named him Isaac, as Sarah had laughed in disbelief at the prophecy.
The name Isaac is prominently featured in the book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, which is also part of the Christian Old Testament. It is the name given to the son of Abraham and Sarah, who went on to become an important patriarch in the Abrahamic faiths. The name has significant religious and cultural significance within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Isaac can be found in the Hebrew Bible, dated around the 6th century BCE. Over the centuries, the name has been used by numerous notable figures throughout history. Among them are Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the renowned English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and natural philosopher, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time.
Another prominent figure with the name Isaac was Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991), a Polish-American writer and Nobel Prize laureate in Literature. He is widely acclaimed for his works depicting the lives and struggles of Jewish communities in Poland before and during the Holocaust.
In the world of music, Isaac Stern (1920-2001) was an accomplished American violinist and conductor, renowned for his contributions to the classical music scene. He was also a prominent advocate for the preservation of Jewish culture and heritage.
The name Isaac has also been associated with political figures, such as Isaac Itzkovitch (1892-1938), a Soviet Bolshevik revolutionary and politician who played a significant role in the Russian Revolution and the early years of the Soviet Union.
In the field of literature, Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) was a prolific American writer and professor, best known for his works of science fiction and popular science books. His novels, such as the Foundation series, have had a lasting impact on the genre and inspired generations of readers and writers.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Isaac, demonstrating its enduring presence and significance across various cultures and disciplines.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Issac over time
The chart below shows babies named Issac 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 Issac, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 68 births in 2024, compared with 114 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Issac by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Issac 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 | #471 | 437 | 5 |
| 2010s | #525 | 769 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1104 | 221 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1230 | 47 | 4 |
Geography
Where Issac is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Issac. 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.
Issac ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
Across the UK
Issac in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#619 in 2024
8 years of NRS records, 36 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#404 in 2024
6 years of NISRA records, 20 total registered
Related
Names similar to Issac
- Isaac 49,129
- Ibrahim 14,115
- Ismail 4,679
- Isaiah 4,629
- Idris 3,810
- Ivan 3,146
- Isa 2,943
- Ian 2,805
- Ilyas 2,552
- Ieuan 2,515
- Ibraheem 2,384
- Ioan 2,295
FAQ
Issac: questions and answers
How popular is the name Issac in the UK right now?
In 2024, Issac was ranked #560 for boys in England and Wales, with 68 births registered.
When was Issac most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 114 babies registered as Issac in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Issac?
Of Hebrew origin, denoting "he will laugh" or "he laughs".
How many people are called Issac in the UK?
A total of 1,474 babies have been registered as Issac across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 36 more in Scotland and 20 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Issac most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Issac ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #404 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.