Given name & surname
Isaiah
“God is salvation”·“God is my salvation”
Isaiah is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “God is salvation” (Hebrew) and “God is my salvation” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewישעיה
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “God is salvation” (Hebrew) and “God is my salvation” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In English usage, Isaiah developed from Ἠσαΐας.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Isaiah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 254,710
- 254,020 boys · 690 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 10,483 babies
- 2025
- 5,273
- #57 for boys · #13,869 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5,267 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 57 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 20.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10,459 in 2006. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (847). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 175,788 as a first name in 2020; 641 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Isaiah’s family of names
In English usage, Isaiah has a diminutive in Izzy. Isaiah shares a linguistic root with Esa. Isaiah has a related form in Isaias.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Isaiah has relatives in 19 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
19 related names in 19 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 22
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 18
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Isaiah
- Isaiah BerlinRusso-British-Latvian Jewish social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas (1909–1997)
- Isaiah WashingtonAmerican actor (born 1963)
- Isaiah FirebraceAustralian singer (born 1999)
- Isaiah ThomasAmerican basketball player (born 1989)
- Izzy BrownEnglish football player (born 1997)
- Isaiah HartensteinGerman-American basketball playerborn 1998
- Isaiah MustafaAmerican actor and former NFL practice squad wide receiverborn 1974
- Isaiah OsbourneEnglish footballer (born 1987)
- Isaiah CanaanAmerican basketball player (born 1991)
Characters named Isaiah: Isaiah Bradley (Marvel Comics).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Isaiah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Isaac
“full of laughter”
>99% boys
Emmanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Ethan
“firmness” · “long-lived”
>99% boys
Eli
“one who has ascended; my God on high”
99% boys · 1% girls
Jonah
“dove”
99% boys · 1% girls
Jeremiah
“appointed by God” · “one who is exalted by the Lord”
>99% boys
Uriah
“God is light” · “The Lord is my light”
95% boys · 5% girls
Uriel
“the angel of light”
98% boys · 2% girls