Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2024

Issa

Meaning From Somali Ciise or Arabic عيسى Gender Unisex · 29% girls Rank 2025 #1,682 Trend ↑ Rising 34%

From Somali Ciise or Arabic عيسى.

Rank 2025
#1,682
among boys · ↓147 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
157
named Issa · -20% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,429
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2024
196 babies
All-time total
3,217
#3,030 all-time among boys
First recorded
1969
in Social Security records

Issa popularity over time

3,217 babies have been named Issa since 1969, 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
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – 5 5 1 – #4,666
1970s 18 107 125 13 +2400% #2,320
1980s 32 165 197 20 +58% #2,232
1990s 66 296 362 36 +84% #2,230
2000s 126 464 590 59 +63% #2,020
2010s 299 665 964 96 +63% #1,767
2020s (to 2025) 388 586 974 162 +68% #1,535

Where Issa 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 103 0.06 outside top 500
2027 107 0.06 outside top 500
2028 110 0.06 outside top 500
2029 113 0.07 outside top 500
2030 116 0.07 outside top 500

Where Issa is most popular

Boys named Issa per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.058 per 1,000. Strongest in Michigan, New York, and Ohio.

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 Issa 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
Michigan 47 0.229 +298%
New York 67 0.155 +168%
Ohio 23 0.087 +51%
Illinois 21 0.082 +43%
Virginia 13 0.069 +19%
California 55 0.060 ≈ national
Texas 44 0.050 -13%
Pennsylvania 12 0.045 -22%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -37%
Florida 15 0.032 -45%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -66%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Issa

Issa is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,682 in 2025 with 98 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1969, 3,217 American babies have been named Issa, about 71% boys and 29% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2024, when 196 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Issa stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Issa?

The median living Issa is about 11 years old; half are between 4 and 23. An estimated 3,200 people named Issa are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

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

Issa 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 59 #2,871 98 #1,682
2024 81 #2,291 115 #1,535
2023 61 #2,798 109 #1,595
2022 74 #2,454 92 #1,787
2021 59 #2,864 84 #1,845
2020 54 #2,990 88 #1,754
2019 57 #2,902 73 #2,008
2018 53 #3,075 87 #1,767
2017 41 #3,730 64 #2,141
2016 26 #5,195 81 #1,850
2015 28 #4,906 54 #2,396
2014 21 #6,080 71 #2,009
2013 20 #6,343 58 #2,237
2012 15 #7,979 66 #2,078
2011 14 #8,363 56 #2,296
2010 24 #5,691 55 #2,339
2009 17 #7,472 46 #2,674
2008 14 #8,686 49 #2,561
2007 18 #7,205 68 #2,044
2006 9 #11,805 45 #2,636
2005 8 #12,268 62 #2,020
2004 12 #8,908 38 #2,765
2003 11 #9,295 52 #2,138
2002 13 #8,001 40 #2,482
2001 17 #6,440 37 #2,582
2000 7 #12,291 27 #3,177
1995 6 #12,348 36 #2,230
1990 5 #13,800 29 #2,398
1985 9 #7,170 14 #3,287
1980 – – 16 #2,881
1975 6 #8,357 16 #2,580
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Issa

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

  1. 1 Issa Diop Issa Diop Moroccan footballer (born 1997) Contemporary
  2. 2 Issa Rae Issa Rae American actress and writer (born 1985) Contemporary
  3. 3 Issa Hayatou Issa Hayatou Cameroonian basketball player and football executive (1946–2024) Contemporary
  4. 4 Issa Pliyev Issa Pliyev Soviet military commander (1903–1979) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Issa?

The median living Issa is about 11 years old. Half of all living Issas are between 4 and 23 years old.

How many people named Issa are alive today?

An estimated 3,200 people named Issa are alive in the United States, based on 3,217 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Issa mean?

From Somali Ciise or Arabic عيسى.

How popular is the name Issa in 2025?

Issa ranked #1,682 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 98 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Issa?

3,217 babies have been named Issa in the United States since 1969, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Issa most popular?

Issa peaked in 2024, when 196 newborns received the name.

Is Issa a boy or girl name?

Issa is used for both: about 29% of babies named Issa have been girls and 71% boys.

Is the name Issa rising or falling?

Issa is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Issa become more popular?

Issa is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 116 boys named Issa in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Issa?

Well-known people named Issa include Issa Diop (soccer player), Issa Rae (actor), Issa Hayatou (politician).

Names like Issa

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

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