Boys' name · peaked in 2006
Israel name popularity since 1925
70,585 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Israel (2.3% girls, 97.7% boys). Half of them were born in 2004 or earlier, so the typical Israel is about 22 years old in 2026. Israel peaked in 2006 as the #202 name for boys, and it ranked #315 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 70,585
- Named Israel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #315
- for boys in 2025 (1,081 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 97.7% boys
- 1,637 girls · 68,948 boys
- Most popular in
- Texas
- 2.87× its national share
Peak year is the year Israel made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Israel births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2007. Measured as a share of all babies, Israel peaked in 2006.
- Fastest rise: Between 1967 and 1972, Israel became 1.9× more common, from 1 in 6,430 baby boys to 1 in 3,340.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Israel's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Israel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Israel in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 448 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 775 | #665 |
| 1940s | 0 | 965 | #666 |
| 1950s | 5 | 1,853 | #536 |
| 1960s | 6 | 2,674 | #482 |
| 1970s | 62 | 5,386 | #331 |
| 1980s | 69 | 6,315 | #329 |
| 1990s | 283 | 10,173 | #281 |
| 2000s | 384 | 16,151 | #217 |
| 2010s | 519 | 15,775 | #240 |
| 2020–25 | 309 | 8,433 | #315 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
35.6% of babies named Israel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Israel is most popular
The index compares Israel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Israel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2.87× | 15,031 |
| Arizona | 2.52× | 2,183 |
| New Mexico | 2.22× | 818 |
| California | 2.10× | 14,828 |
| Nevada | 2.10× | 501 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Israel and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Israel (this page) | 68,948 | 2006 |
| Izrael | 1,243 | 2023 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Israel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Israel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Israel (2006).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data