Masculine dossier · first seen 1880
Ishmael
Stable
Cross-generational persistence
Peak era
2017
Peak births
158
Current vitality
Fragile
Peak generation
Gen Alpha
Quick answers about Ishmael
How many people are named Ishmael?
An estimated 5,613 living Americans are named Ishmael.
How rare is Ishmael?
Ishmael is uncommon among babies today, with 121 boys receiving the name in 2025, down 23.4% from its 2017 peak.
How old is the typical Ishmael?
The median age of a living American named Ishmael is approximately 23 years, with most bearers falling between 11 and 34 years old.
Is Ishmael still popular?
Yes. Ishmael is holding steady, with 121 births in 2025 and a consistent recent baseline.
Where is Ishmael most common?
Ishmael has its strongest geographic signal in New York, where it appears 2.4× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 20172025
Peak year
2017
Decline from peak
23.4%
2025
121
All-time
6,794
Where it lives now
Ishmael is most concentrated in Florida — about 2.4× the national rate in the 2010s. It also runs high in New Jersey.
States where Ishmael is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.