Ishmael as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ishmael

What is the meaning of the name Ishmael ?

The baby name Ishmael is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˈɪʃmeɪəl/ (ISH-may-əl); Hebrew: Yishma'el; Arabic: Ismāʿīl (/ismaːˈʕiːl/).

Ishmael is Hebrew in Origin.

Derived from the Hebrew Yishma’el (יִשְׁמָעֵאל), Ishmael means “God hears” or “God has heard,” combining shama‘ (to hear) with ’El (God). In the Hebrew Bible he is the son of Abraham and Hagar, and the name expresses a divine response to distress. The form passed into Greek as Ismaēl and Latin Ismaël, retaining the same theophoric sense.

Used in Jewish and Christian communities since late antiquity and appearing in English records by the 16th century, Ishmael gained enduring literary resonance as the reflective narrator of Melville’s Moby-Dick (“Call me Ishmael”). Variants include Ismael (Spanish/Portuguese), Ismaël or Ishmaël (French), Ismail/İsmail (Arabic, Turkish, and many Muslim languages), and nicknames like Ish in English. In Islamic tradition, Ismā‘īl is a revered prophet and forefather, which sustains the name’s popularity across the Middle East, North and West Africa, and South Asia. In contemporary English-speaking countries it remains uncommon but recognizably classic.