boys' name ★ peaked 2007

Israel

Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #315 Trend ↓ Falling 16%
Rank 2025
#315
among boys · ↓37 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,123
named Israel · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,580
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2007
1,995 babies
All-time total
72,874
#398 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Israel popularity over time

72,874 babies have been named Israel since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 202 202 20 – #344
1890s – 164 164 16 -19% #375
1900s – 210 210 21 +28% #373
1910s – 1,051 1,051 105 +400% #398
1920s – 1,110 1,110 111 +6% #484
1930s – 775 775 78 -30% #613
1940s – 965 965 97 +25% #557
1950s 5 1,853 1,858 186 +93% #512
1960s 6 2,674 2,680 268 +44% #418
1970s 62 5,386 5,448 545 +103% #295
1980s 69 6,315 6,384 638 +17% #301
1990s 283 10,173 10,456 1,046 +64% #243
2000s 384 16,151 16,535 1,654 +58% #202
2010s 519 15,775 16,294 1,629 -1% #218
2020s (to 2025) 309 8,433 8,742 1,457 -11% #229

Where Israel is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 1,044 0.61 #326
2027 1,013 0.59 #334
2028 987 0.58 #339
2029 966 0.57 #341
2030 949 0.56 #344

Where Israel is most popular

Boys named Israel per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.799 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Israel born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Hawaii 33 2.12 +166%
New Mexico 68 2.06 +158%
Arizona 240 1.47 +84%
Texas 1,250 1.42 +78%
California 1,220 1.33 +67%
Nevada 74 1.30 +62%
Oklahoma 94 1.06 +33%
Kansas 70 1.02 +28%
Colorado 130 1.01 +26%
Maryland 119 0.998 +25%
North Dakota 17 0.996 +25%
North Carolina 235 0.920 +15%
Georgia 232 0.916 +15%
Washington 148 0.905 +13%
New York 384 0.887 +11%
Illinois 210 0.822 ≈ national
New Jersey 165 0.820 ≈ national
Utah 78 0.817 ≈ national
South Carolina 83 0.803 ≈ national
Delaware 12 0.791 ≈ national
Oregon 60 0.790 ≈ national
Florida 361 0.762 -5%
Arkansas 48 0.758 -5%
Kentucky 75 0.747 -6%
Connecticut 47 0.694 -13%
Idaho 27 0.660 -17%
Missouri 90 0.649 -19%
Indiana 104 0.649 -19%
Pennsylvania 170 0.640 -20%
Iowa 44 0.638 -20%
Massachusetts 87 0.633 -21%
Alabama 69 0.631 -21%
Tennessee 109 0.604 -24%
Virginia 114 0.601 -25%
Michigan 123 0.601 -25%
Ohio 159 0.600 -25%
Louisiana 61 0.596 -25%
Mississippi 31 0.546 -32%
Minnesota 58 0.473 -41%
Wisconsin 49 0.414 -48%
Nebraska 16 0.368 -54%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 -66%
South Dakota 5 0.269 -66%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Israel

Israel is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #315 in 2025 with 1,081 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 72,874 American babies have been named Israel. Its peak came in 2007, when 1,995 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Israel stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Israel?

The median living Israel is about 20 years old; half are between 10 and 34. An estimated 67 thousand people named Israel are alive in the United States today.

median 20 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Israel year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 42 #3,605 1,081 #315
2024 39 #3,852 1,226 #278
2023 55 #3,030 1,537 #229
2022 56 #2,975 1,509 #233
2021 57 #2,939 1,548 #234
2020 60 #2,759 1,532 #237
2019 69 #2,546 1,622 #234
2018 70 #2,516 1,596 #239
2017 55 #2,983 1,594 #235
2016 52 #3,154 1,679 #232
2015 60 #2,905 1,582 #240
2014 58 #2,945 1,541 #242
2013 47 #3,379 1,473 #245
2012 33 #4,424 1,450 #253
2011 36 #4,100 1,612 #218
2010 39 #3,915 1,626 #220
2009 33 #4,525 1,776 #211
2008 49 #3,398 1,832 #210
2007 58 #3,031 1,937 #204
2006 33 #4,395 1,927 #202
2005 40 #3,668 1,655 #217
2004 32 #4,318 1,635 #215
2003 33 #4,061 1,368 #247
2002 31 #4,111 1,297 #251
2001 37 #3,578 1,340 #249
2000 38 #3,478 1,384 #244
1995 32 #3,445 975 #281
1990 15 #5,937 791 #319
1985 – – 598 #329
1980 16 #4,590 663 #301
1975 9 #6,135 531 #331
1970 – – 424 #390
1965 – – 260 #482
1960 – – 232 #520
1955 – – 189 #536
1950 – – 143 #567
1945 – – 82 #666
1940 – – 74 #706
1935 – – 80 #665
1930 – – 101 #613
1925 – – 103 #619
1920 – – 135 #525
1915 – – 137 #470
1910 – – 29 #527
1905 – – 19 #536
1900 – – 20 #543
1895 – – 15 #541
1890 – – 18 #428
1885 – – 22 #382
1880 – – 17 #434

Famous people named Israel

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Israel Adesanya Israel Adesanya Nigerian and New Zealand mixed martial artist (born 1989) Contemporary
  2. 2 Israel Kamakawiwoʻole Israel Kamakawiwoʻole Hawaiian musician and singer (1959–1997) Contemporary
  3. 3 Israel Katz Israel Katz Israeli politician (born 1955) Contemporary
  4. 4 Israel Broussard Israel Broussard American actor b. 1994 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Israel Zangwill Israel Zangwill British author (1864–1926) 19th century
  6. 6 Israel Finkelstein Israel Finkelstein Israeli archaeologist and professor b. 1949 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Israel Regardie Israel Regardie English occultist 1907–1985) Contemporary
  8. 8 Israel Tal Israel Tal Israeli general (1924–2010) Contemporary
  9. 9 Israel Gelfand Israel Gelfand Soviet mathematician (1913–2009) Contemporary
  10. 10 Israel Kirzner Israel Kirzner American economist (born 1930) Contemporary
  11. 11 Israel Joshua Singer Israel Joshua Singer Polish-Jewish novelist 1893–1944 · 19th century
  12. 12 Israel Castro Israel Castro Mexican footballer (born 1980) Contemporary
  13. 13 Israel Pickens Israel Pickens Democratic governor of and U.S. Senator from Alabama 1780–1827 · 18th century
  14. 14 Israel Tsvaygenbaum Israel Tsvaygenbaum Russian and American painter b. 1961 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Israel Jiménez Israel Jiménez Mexican footballer (born 1989) Contemporary
  16. 16 Israel Albert Horowitz Israel Albert Horowitz American chess player 1907–1973 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Israel, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Israel?

The median living Israel is about 20 years old. Half of all living Israels are between 10 and 34 years old.

How many people named Israel are alive today?

An estimated 67 thousand people named Israel are alive in the United States, based on 72,874 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Israel in 2025?

Israel ranked #315 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,081 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Israel?

72,874 babies have been named Israel in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Israel most popular?

Israel peaked in 2007, when 1,995 newborns received the name.

Is Israel a boy or girl name?

Israel is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Israel rising or falling?

Israel has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Israel become more popular?

Israel is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 949 boys named Israel in 2030, which would rank around #344. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Israel?

Well-known people named Israel include Israel Adesanya (martial arts), Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (musician), Israel Katz (politician).

Names like Israel

Names that sound and feel close to Israel: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Israel with similar names → More names starting with I →