Spellings
Ismael or Ishmael?
In the US in 2025, 90% of babies in this name family were spelled Ismael and 8% Ishmael. Same name, slightly different impression: here are the figures for each spelling.
Ismael90% of the family1,307 born in 2025#263 among boys+69% since 2015Ishmael8% of the family121 born in 2025#1,466 among boys−19% since 2015Ismaeel2% of the family29 born in 2025#3,757 among boys+26% since 2015
Ten years ago
Ismael already led in 2015, with 82% of the family's births; it has 90% in 2025. All spellings together, the family went from 945 to 1,457 births (+54%).
| Spelling | 2015 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ismael | 772 | 1,307 | +69% |
| Ishmael | 150 | 121 | −19% |
| Ismaeel | 23 | 29 | +26% |
How they sound
- Ismael /ˌɪsmɑˈɛl/ (is-mah-EL)
- Ishmael /ˈɪʃməl/ (ISH-mul)
- Ismaeel /ɪsmɑːˈiːl/ (is-mah-EEL)
In France
In France in 2025: Ismael 1,060 births (#49 among boys). The other spellings are not given there often enough to be counted.
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France), 2025 data. How we calculate these figures.
Which spelling is yours?
The one-minute style quiz.