Given Name ISAAC GENDER: Masculine USAGE: English, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin OTHER SCRIPTS: יִצְחָק (Hebrew) PRONOUNCED: IE-zək (English) [key] Meaning & History From the Hebrew name יִצְחָק (Yitzchaq) meaning "he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from צָחַק (tzachaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see Genesis 17:17). When Issac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of Esau and Jacob. As an English Christian name, Isaac was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, though it was more common among Jews. It became more widespread after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers include the physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) and the science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992). Related Names See All Relations Show Family Tree VARIANTS: Issac (English), Itzhak, Yitzhak (Hebrew) DIMINUTIVES: Ike (English), Sekel (Yiddish) OTHER LANGUAGES: Sahak (Armenian), Isaak (Biblical Greek), Yitzhak (Biblical Hebrew), Izaäk, Sjaak, Sjakie (Dutch), Iisakki, Iikka, Iiro (Finnish), Isaak (German), Izsák (Hungarian), Izaak (Polish), Isaak (Russian), Isak (Swedish) Popularity See Popularity Detail United States ranked #31 England and Wales ranked #25 Canada (BC) ranked #27 Australia (NSW) ranked #14 Catalonia ranked #50 Chile ranked #96 France ranked #160 Ireland ranked #77 Mexico ranked #42 Netherlands ranked #421 New Zealand ranked #27 Northern Ireland ranked #33 Portugal ranked #47 Scotland ranked #71 Spain ranked #85