Boy · Arabic (from Hebrew) · Muslim · International
Ismail
اسماعیلSay it is-maa-EEL
- Meaning
- Ishmael; Hebrew Yishmaʿel, 'God will hear' Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Strong's H3458
- Say it
- is-maa-EEL
- Written
- اسماعیل
- Other spellings
- Ismael, Esmail, Ismaeel
Ismail
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Ismail meaning
Ismail (اسماعیل) is a Muslim and international boy's name of Arabic origin (from Hebrew).
Ishmael; Hebrew Yishmaʿel, 'God will hear'
Ismail (اسماعیل) is the Arabic form of Ishmael, the elder son of Abraham. The Quran names him with Abraham raising the foundations of the Kaaba (2:127) and praises him as true to his promise, a messenger and a prophet (19:54). The name comes from Hebrew Yishmaʿel, which Strong's Concordance explains as "God will hear", from shamaʿ, "to hear", and El, "God". Name lists give Ismail as "God hears" or "heard by God", in line with the Hebrew. Arab genealogists trace the northern Arabs, through ʿAdnān, back to Ismāʿīl, and his story is remembered by Muslims at the Hajj and at Eid al-Adha. In India the name is also written Ismael or Esmail.
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), Strong's H3458 · entry Yishmaʿel (יִשְׁמָעֵאל) · See the entry
In the Quran: 19:54 (Ismāʿīl (إِسْمَٰعِيلَ)) · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Strong's H3458, Yishmaʿel · Quran 19:54 · Quran 2:127
Famous namesakes
- Ismāʿīl (Ishmael), son of Abraham and prophet in the Quran
Popularity abroad
- #243 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Ismail · Ismael · Esmail · Ismaeel