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Issa as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Issa

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The baby name Issa is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced EE-sah (/ˈiːsə/),ISS-ah (/ˈɪsə/),Arabic: ʿĪsā (/ʕiːsaː/),Japanese: Issa (/i.ssa/).

Issa is Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, Somali in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, Somali
Pronunciation: EE-sah (/ˈiːsə/),ISS-ah (/ˈɪsə/),Arabic: ʿĪsā (/ʕiːsaː/),Japanese: Issa (/i.ssa/)

What is the meaning of the name Issa ?

The baby name Issa is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced EE-sah (/ˈiːsə/),ISS-ah (/ˈɪsə/),Arabic: ʿĪsā (/ʕiːsaː/),Japanese: Issa (/i.ssa/).

Issa is Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, Somali in Origin.

Issa is a cross-cultural given name with its core origin in Arabic ʿĪsā, the Qur’ānic name for Jesus. From early Islamic centuries it spread with Islam through the Levant and across Africa, appearing as a personal and, via patronymics, a family name. In Muslim contexts its meaning is simply “Jesus,” naming the revered prophet; any direct link to Hebrew Yeshua is debated.

Spellings and forms include Isa, Eisa/Eesa/Essa (regional transliterations), Turkish İsa, Bosnian and Albanian Isa, Kurdish Îsa, and Somali Ciise - often rendered Issa/Isse in French or English sources. The double‑s spelling is common in Francophone Africa to preserve the s sound. An unrelated Japanese name Issa also exists, notably the pen name of haiku poet Kobayashi Issa, written with characters meaning “one tea.” Predominantly masculine, it is occasionally used unisex today.

Issa has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Issa

Issa Rae Actor · Born 1985 · United States Issa Rae is an American actor and writer best known for her role in the television series 'Insecure'. She gained widespread recognition for her work on the show, which she also co-created and co-wrote. Born in 1985, Rae has become a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.

Issa – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Boys 2025 #1 — 423
Ireland Boys 2024 #1 — 820
Ireland Girls 2023 #1 — 897
BF Boys 0 #3 46 439
BF 0 #4 7 188
ET 0 #6 1 246
BI 0 #10 3 425
BW 0 #16 4 960
BI Boys 0 #20 24 917
ET Boys 0 #27 1 678
CM 0 #28 28 2,592
DJ Girls 0 #29 1 488
DJ Boys 0 #32 5 657
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
TM Boys 0 #36 1 614
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
GE 0 #44 1 997
OM 0 #45 81 6,215
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
LY 0 #56 1,586 12,703
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
JO Boys 0 #64 1,487 7,057
JO 0 #72 70 2,158
AO 0 #76 2 2,729
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
PH 0 #85 12 5,607
France Boys 2021 #88 697 2,865
QA 0 #90 11 7,011
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
CM Boys 0 #96 1,355 12,054
SD 0 #96 7 2,130
Belgium Boys 2024 #114 75 401
BW Boys 0 #114 36 4,685
KW 0 #117 5 5,216
LB 0 #122 1,426 13,263
CY Girls 0 #123 3 3,755
Switzerland Boys 2024 #124 14 1,769
PS Boys 0 #124 975 10,655
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
CY Boys 0 #126 6 3,473
IQ 0 #127 7 3,533
BW Girls 0 #129 20 4,216
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
AE 0 #144 34 10,220
SY 0 #144 1,821 11,684
MT Boys 0 #159 18 4,064
PS 0 #159 60 5,692
OM Boys 0 #161 1,555 17,948
PR Girls 0 #166 2 3,171
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
Sweden Boys 2022 #175 8 1,509
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
SD Boys 0 #183 361 10,523
AO Boys 0 #188 55 5,568
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
IL Boys 0 #200 764 10,983
DK 0 #201 6 5,198
GH 0 #207 37 5,396
SI Boys 0 #207 5 3,402
AO Girls 0 #213 5 4,575
BG Boys 0 #217 4 3,850
LU Boys 0 #217 4 4,970
JM Girls 0 #218 42 7,507
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
NA Boys 0 #226 10 6,830
NA Girls 0 #231 7 7,146
IL 0 #233 42 6,291
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
BD 0 #240 2 5,992
GR Boys 0 #240 28 6,912
NG 0 #242 23 5,926
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
KZ Boys 0 #249 41 6,578
JP Girls 0 #250 2 6,592
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
HR Boys 0 #258 2 3,997
YE 0 #258 128 8,639
MO Girls 0 #259 5 7,056
MA 0 #260 3,540 20,986
SA 0 #262 34 10,560
TN 0 #263 1,440 13,765
Canada Boys 2024 #268 39 2,588
GH Boys 0 #268 79 8,138
AF Boys 0 #271 4 3,535
SG 0 #280 3 11,010
DK Boys 0 #281 45 7,401
TW Girls 0 #281 9 8,139
JM Boys 0 #285 9 6,876
HR Girls 0 #286 9 3,687
CN Boys 0 #290 30 9,639
JP Boys 0 #297 7 7,909
AL Boys 0 #302 2 5,122
CZ Boys 0 #303 3 6,530
QA Girls 0 #306 11 15,378
JO Girls 0 #315 11 7,570
PH Girls 0 #319 73 13,098
PE 0 #325 5 6,350
DK Girls 0 #326 4 7,429
GH Girls 0 #329 9 6,973
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
GT 0 #335 4 5,948
MU Boys 0 #336 22 8,477
PL Boys 0 #338 3 6,459
DZ 0 #343 1,907 20,130
SD Girls 0 #351 8 7,678
MY 0 #352 3 12,352
PT Boys 0 #352 16 7,951
IQ Boys 0 #354 377 13,071
CN Girls 0 #357 3 8,829
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
PL Girls 0 #360 5 5,096
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
MX 0 #361 53 8,339
OM Girls 0 #365 32 15,987
EG 0 #379 22 6,387
NG Boys 0 #388 986 16,906
France Girls 2020 #392 3 3,215
CL 0 #401 11 6,867
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
PH Boys 0 #404 5 11,440
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
Finland Boys 0 #416 12 2,041
Austria Boys 0 #418 25 2,180
CM Girls 0 #425 117 11,671
ZA 0 #430 18 14,421
Spain 0 #433 20 2,326
IR Boys 0 #434 120 10,162
PA Girls 0 #446 36 9,861
GT Girls 0 #456 50 7,500
CO 0 #458 23 7,768
RU Boys 0 #459 47 12,621
PT Girls 0 #470 2 7,952
PA Boys 0 #472 10 9,305
AR Boys 0 #480 4 7,628
BH 0 #486 68 17,937
KW Girls 0 #491 25 19,177
GT Boys 0 #495 5 7,625
IQ Girls 0 #495 10 11,303
PS Girls 0 #496 28 10,981
UY Girls 0 #500 11 6,731
CR Boys 0 #506 5 10,188
HK Boys 0 #514 14 12,905
QA Boys 0 #519 189 18,093
RU Girls 0 #520 4 11,913
AE Girls 0 #527 27 20,968
IR Girls 0 #542 4 8,334
Spain Boys 0 #551 438 5,610
BD Boys 0 #564 13 10,045
CR Girls 0 #566 8 11,342
SG Girls 0 #566 21 18,916
EG Boys 0 #579 327 15,035
AR Girls 0 #581 19 8,289
NG Girls 0 #592 200 15,093
BO Girls 0 #597 15 9,488
HK Girls 0 #598 18 16,104
IL Girls 0 #606 12 11,648
BO Boys 0 #620 3 9,244
KW Boys 0 #625 145 18,755
CL Boys 0 #648 18 13,390
IN Girls 0 #651 4 13,121
Finland Boys 2026 #662 21 3,552
MX Girls 0 #664 673 17,781
IT 0 #696 19 4,183
Germany Boys 0 #704 256 5,697
IT Boys 0 #711 956 10,046
CO Girls 0 #712 415 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #726 518 25,619
SG Boys 0 #735 5 17,960
CL Girls 0 #740 112 14,098
BR Boys 0 #742 10 12,213
United States Boys 2024 #778 115 7,044
AE Boys 0 #797 301 22,615
NL Boys 0 #803 149 5,873
Germany Girls 0 #826 13 4,949
United States Girls 2024 #836 81 8,487
PE Girls 0 #869 75 14,861
SA Boys 0 #878 911 28,008
SA Girls 0 #881 55 25,931
CO Boys 0 #886 35 15,656
Spain Girls 0 #901 83 5,561
PE Boys 0 #921 6 14,506
BR Girls 0 #923 19 12,708
ZA Girls 0 #929 213 25,928
NL Girls 0 #939 17 5,933
EG Girls 0 #943 17 14,742
MX Boys 0 #953 30 16,355
MY Girls 0 #970 25 24,821
TR 0 #990 223 19,440
IN Boys 0 #1,031 9 16,750
MY Boys 0 #1,077 35 25,439
IT Girls 0 #1,375 72 9,415

Issa is popular in 92 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
United States
Switzerland
Brussels, Belgium

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Issa

Issa is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Issa is a 2 syllable name, pronounced EE-sah (/ˈiːsə/),ISS-ah (/ˈɪsə/),Arabic: ʿĪsā (/ʕiːsaː/),Japanese: Issa (/i.ssa/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Isa, Eesa, Essa, Isah and Iisa.
Across languages, Issa has these equivalents: Arabic: ʿĪsā (Isa), Hebrew: Yeshua/Yehoshua — 'salvation' (Jesus/Joshua), English: Jesus (equivalent in Christian contexts).
Yes, very popular — Issa ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Issa ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Yes — 1 notable people named Issa are in our database, including Issa Rae (Actor).