Isaac
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from Hebrew. From Middle English Ysaac, from Latin Isaac, from Ancient Greek Ἰσαάκ (Isaák), from Hebrew יצחק (Yiṣḥāq, literally “he laughs, he will laugh”). Explained in Genesis as referring to his mother Sarah’s laughing when she was told she would have a son at her old age. The verb is masculine, however, perhaps due to its use as a boy’s name.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Isaac (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Isaac has been fairly steady over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2017. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 22 |
| 1999 | 23 |
| 2000 | 47 |
| 2001 | 55 |
| 2002 | 48 |
| 2003 | 58 |
| 2004 | 49 |
| 2005 | 58 |
| 2006 | 48 |
| 2007 | 49 |
| 2008 | 45 |
| 2009 | 35 |
| 2010 | 37 |
| 2011 | 33 |
| 2012 | 45 |
| 2013 | 45 |
| 2014 | 35 |
| 2015 | 39 |
| 2016 | 51 |
| 2017 | 59 |
| 2018 | 39 |
| 2019 | 40 |
| 2020 | 49 |
| 2021 | 41 |
| 2022 | 44 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 224 |
| 2000 | 276 |
| 2001 | 336 |
| 2002 | 386 |
| 2003 | 445 |
| 2004 | 507 |
| 2005 | 571 |
| 2006 | 626 |
| 2007 | 693 |
| 2008 | 754 |
| 2009 | 786 |
| 2010 | 837 |
| 2011 | 872 |
| 2012 | 935 |
| 2013 | 1,000 |
| 2014 | 1,048 |
| 2015 | 1,103 |
| 2016 | 1,178 |
| 2017 | 1,257 |
| 2018 | 1,309 |
| 2019 | 1,366 |
| 2020 | 1,419 |
Isaac in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Isaac.Hi! My name is Isaac.
- Har du träffat Isaac? Han började jobba här i måndags.Have you met Isaac? He started working here on Monday.
- Jag ska fika med Isaac i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Isaac this afternoon.
- Isaacs mamma är lärare.Isaac's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Isaacs mamma is Isaac's mum.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Isaac
How do you pronounce Isaac in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Isaac in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Isaac mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from Hebrew. From Middle English Ysaac, from Latin Isaac, from Ancient Greek Ἰσαάκ (Isaák), from Hebrew יצחק (Yiṣḥāq, literally “he laughs, he will laugh”). Explained in Genesis as referring to his mother Sarah’s laughing when she was told she would have a son at her old age. The verb is masculine, however, perhaps due to its use as a boy’s name.
How popular is Isaac in Sweden?
44 babies were named Isaac in 2022. In 2020, 1,419 people in Sweden had Isaac as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been fairly steady lately and peaked in 2017 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.