NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Issak

A Hebrew name meaning "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.

Issak is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Issak popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 4 births.

This profile covers 13 England and Wales registrations across 4 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 13 living people in the UK are called Issak. 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

  • Issak ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2012, when 4 boys were registered as Issak.
  • About 13 living people in the UK are estimated to have Issak as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5119

2024

Births in 2024

3

Latest year

Peak year

2012

4 births

Estimated living

13

2026

Meaning

What does Issak mean?

The name Issak originates from the Hebrew language and culture, deriving from the biblical figure Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah. The Hebrew name Yitzchak means "he will laugh" or "he laughs," referring to the laughter of Abraham and Sarah upon being told they would have a son in their old age.

The name first appears in the Book of Genesis, one of the most ancient texts of the Hebrew Bible. Isaac's birth is recounted as a miracle, and he goes on to become an important patriarch in the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Issak comes from the 11th century, when Issak ben Reuben, a famous Jewish poet and philosopher from Spain, was born around 1043 CE. His works were highly influential in medieval Jewish thought.

In the 13th century, Issak Hunayn ibn Ishaq al-Ibadi, an Arab mathematician and astronomer, made significant contributions to the study of optics and wrote several influential treatises on the subject. He was born in Basra, modern-day Iraq, around 1248 CE.

The name Issak also has a long history in Christian tradition. Saint Issak the Confessor, a prominent Byzantine monk and theologian, lived in the 7th century CE and is revered for his writings on asceticism and spiritual life.

During the Renaissance, Issak Comnenus was a renowned Greek scholar and philosopher born in Constantinople around 1497 CE. He was instrumental in the revival of classical Greek learning in the Western world.

Another notable figure was Issak Walton, an English writer and biographer best known for his book "The Compleat Angler," which was published in 1653 CE and is considered a classic work on the subject of fly fishing. Walton lived from 1593 to 1683 CE.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Issak over time

The chart below shows babies named Issak registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 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 Issak, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 4 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Issak
01234199720102024

Decades

Issak by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Issak 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 #5119 3 1
2010s #4399 7 2
1990s #2859 3 1

Related

Names similar to Issak

FAQ

Issak: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Issak was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Issak most popular?

The peak year on record was 2012, with 4 babies registered as Issak in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Issak?

A Hebrew name meaning "he will laugh" or "he laughs".

How many people are called Issak in the UK?

A total of 13 babies have been registered as Issak across the 4 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

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.