Ishma’il as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ishma’il

What is the meaning of the name Ishma’il ?

The baby name Ishma’il is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ɪʃməˈiːl/ (English); /ismaːʕiːl/ (Arabic) — respelling: ish-MAH-eel or is-MAH-eel.

Ishma’il is Hebrew, Islamic in Origin.

From the Hebrew Yishmaʿel, meaning “God hears” or “God will hear,” the name entered Arabic as Ismāʿīl (إسماعيل), with the ʿayn often rendered by an apostrophe in Ishma'il. It is revered across the Abrahamic faiths: in the Hebrew Bible he is Abraham and Hagar’s son; in Islam he is a prophet and forefather of the Arabs, associated with Mecca and the rites of Hajj. Usage spans the Middle East, North and East Africa, South Asia, and global Muslim communities.

Variants include Ishmael (English), Ismael (Spanish/Portuguese), Ismaël or Ismaïl (French), İsmail (Turkish), Esmaeil/Esma'il (Persian), and Ismail, Ismaeel, or Ismā‘īl in common transliteration. The form Ishma'il foregrounds the Semitic ʿayn. Notable bearers range from Shah Isma'il I of Safavid Iran and Sultan Moulay Isma'il of Morocco to Khedive Isma'il Pasha of Egypt; in literature, Melville’s famous opening “Call me Ishmael” helped cement the name’s English profile.

⚙ Nothing for Ishma’il shows up in the birth registries or name datasets we track. It's the kind of name that tends to be rare, regional, or newly made up. However you look at it, very few people share it.