Isaac
Meaning of Isaac
Isaac comes from the Hebrew name Yitzchak, which standard name dictionaries explain as “he will laugh” or simply “laughter,” tied to the biblical account in which Sarah laughs at the news that she will bear a son in her old age. Isaac is that son of Abraham and Sarah, and one of the patriarchs of the Hebrew Bible; the name has been carried for centuries in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition. It is pronounced EYE-zək, the same in American and British English.
Its best-known bearers are scientific and literary. Sir Isaac Newton, the English mathematician and physicist, set out the laws of motion and universal gravitation in his Principia. Isaac Asimov, the American author and Boston University professor, wrote or edited more than 500 books of fiction and popular science and was counted among the leading figures of science fiction.
In the United States, 5,953 boys were named Isaac in 2025, placing the name 47th. That is well below its high point of 28th in 2013, when 10,134 were given the name. It had climbed sharply before then, rising from 103rd in 1994 to 47th by 2001, and it has eased gradually since its 2013 peak.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as EYE-zak (/ˈaɪzək/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Isaac
| Isaac Asimov was an author and Boston University professor, one of the Big Three of science fiction, who wrote or edited over 500 books in fiction and popular science. |
| Sir Isaac Newton was an English polymath who unified physics with his Principia and advanced calculus, optics, and the scientific method, helping to shape modern science. |
| Isaac Bashevis Singer was a Polish-born Jewish American writer who began in Yiddish, translated his work into English, became a leading voice of Yiddish literature, won the 1978 Nobel Prize in Literature, and received two US National Book Awards. |
| Isaac Hayes was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor who helped define Southern soul at Stax with David Porter and was inducted into the Rock and Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame. |
| Isaac Ingalls Stevens was an American soldier and politician who governed Washington Territory and later died leading Union troops at the Battle of Chantilly, with many places named in his honor. |
| Isaac Watts, an English Congregational minister and theologian, is hailed as the Godfather of English hymnody for writing about 750 enduring hymns including Joy to the World and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. |
| Isaac Albéniz - Isaac Albeniz was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor whose folk inspired piano works, notably Iberia, made him a leading post romantic figure and a major influence on Spanish music. |
| Isaac Mizrahi is a New York based American fashion designer and entertainer known for his namesake label, judging Project Runway All Stars, and playing Amos Hart in the Broadway revival of Chicago in 2022. |
| Isaac Stern was a celebrated American violinist who also helped save Carnegie Hall from demolition. |
| Isaac II Angelos seized the Byzantine throne in 1185, ruled until 1195, and briefly returned as co-emperor with his son Alexios IV in 1203 to 1204, founding the Angelos dynasty. |
