Explore the Family Name Isaiah

The meaning of Isaiah

African (mainly Nigeria) and probably also African American: from the Biblical personal name Isaiah, an English form of Hebrew Yeshayahu, meaning ‘God is salvation’. It was borne by a prophet for whom the Book of Isaiah is named.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Isaiah in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Isaiah has seen a notable increase in popularity. In 2000, it was ranked 43,875th and by 2010, it had risen to 35,622nd, signifying an 18.81% increase. The total count of people with this surname also increased from 463 in 2000 to 631 in 2010, marking a significant 36.29% growth. The proportion of individuals with the surname Isaiah per 100,000 people also saw a 23.53% increase during this same period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#43,875	#35,622	18.81%
Count	463	631	36.29%
Proportion per 100k	0.17	0.21	23.53%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Isaiah

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data outlines that the majority of those with the Isaiah surname identify as Black, despite a decrease from 77.75% in 2000 to 71.32% in 2010. The number of individuals identifying as White saw a substantial increase from 7.34% to 13%, while the Hispanic representation also grew from 4.97% to 6.18%. Interestingly, the census recorded no Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native with the Isaiah surname in 2000, but by 2010, these groups constituted 5.23% and 1.43% respectively. However, those identifying with two or more races saw a decrease in representation, dropping from 5.40% in 2000 to 2.85% in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	77.75%	71.32%	-8.27%
White	7.34%	13%	77.11%
Hispanic	4.97%	6.18%	24.35%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	5.23%	0%
Two or More Races	5.4%	2.85%	-47.22%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	1.43%	0%