Isaiah
Isaiah was the 57th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5,267 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 39th with 10,459 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 8 places. More babies were named Isaiah in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning God is salvation · Hebrew
Say it eye-ZAY-uh /aɪˈzeɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #57 boys, down 6 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 5,267boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200610,459 babies
- Total since 1880
- 254,710babies recorded
What does the name Isaiah mean?
Isaiah comes from the Hebrew name Yeshayahu, borne by the 8th-century BC prophet whose book carries his name. It combines a root meaning 'salvation' or 'to save' with a short form of the divine name, so DMNES glosses it 'Yahweh is salvation'. English took the name through Greek Esaias and Latin Isaias; the Wycliffite Bible of 1395 spelled it Isaie or Ysaie. DMNES records it in England from the 1570s, when Protestant naming made Old Testament names more common.
יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Biblical Hebrew, “Yeshayahu”)ישע (Hebrew, “save, salvation”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Isaias, Izaiah, Esaias.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Isaiah', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Hebrew Bible, Isaiah 1:1, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wiktionary, entry 'Isaiah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Isaiah
The usual nicknames for Isaiah are Zay.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zay · also for Zayden | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Isaiahs go by each one.
Isaiah popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 690 since 1976, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #57 | 5,267 |
| 2020 | #51 | 6,094 |
| 2010 | #43 | 8,589 |
| 2000 | #47 | 8,029 |
| 1990 | #205 | 1,489 |
| 1980 | #438 | 355 |
| 1970 | #1,146 | 52 |
| 1960 | #783 | 95 |
| 1950 | #578 | 138 |
| 1940 | #558 | 113 |
| 1930 | #553 | 119 |
| 1920 | #561 | 122 |
| 1910 | #441 | 39 |
| 1900 | #396 | 32 |
| 1890 | #271 | 41 |
| 1880 | #268 | 40 |
How popular is Isaiah, counting every spelling?
Isaiah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #58 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #57 for Isaiah on its own. Together these spellings went to 5,830 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah | 5,267 | #57 | 26,869 |
| Izaiah | 439 | #635 | 2,467 |
| Izayah | 90 | #1,784 | 508 |
| Izaya | 10 | #7,886 | 97 |
| Isayah | 8 | #9,227 | 64 |
| Isaia | 7 | #10,077 | 51 |
| Issaiah | 9 | #8,507 | 35 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Isaiah?
5,267 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Isaiah (1.46 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Isaiah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 37. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Isaiah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Isaiah?
About 245,000 people born in the US named Isaiah are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 11 and 25. That makes Isaiah mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Isaiah by state
How common Isaiah was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (2.6×), New Mexico (1.8×), Nevada (1.8×), Alaska (1.8×), California (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Vermont, Wyoming, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Isaiah: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Isaiah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Isaiah · Sibling names for Isaiah
Questions about the name Isaiah
What does Isaiah mean?
Isaiah means “God is salvation” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Isaiah?
Isaiah was the 57th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5,267 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 39th with 10,459 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 8 places. More babies were named Isaiah in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Isaiah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Isaiah in the US.
Where is Isaiah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Isaiah was most common in Hawaii (8.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Mexico and Nevada.