| Ezra | Isaac | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | help | He will laugh |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | EZ-rah | EYE-zik |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2024 (8,822) | 2007 (10,274) |
| In 2025 | 8,126 | 5,953 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ezra | Isaac |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 47,728 | 39,997 |
| 2010s | 38,650 | 94,574 |
| 2000s | 8,326 | 90,761 |
| 1990s | 2,854 | 40,271 |
| 1980s | 1,755 | 18,374 |
| 1970s | 1,271 | 10,480 |
| 1960s | 588 | 4,605 |
| 1950s | 677 | 5,479 |
| 1940s | 574 | 5,064 |
| 1930s | 819 | 4,715 |
| 1920s | 1,373 | 6,552 |
| 1910s | 1,081 | 4,952 |
| 1900s | 304 | 1,638 |
| 1890s | 405 | 1,735 |
| 1880s | 356 | 2,311 |
From Hebrew ezra, 'help, aid' (root '-z-r). Borne by the scribe of the biblical Book of Ezra. Likely a shortened theophoric name (compare Azariah, 'Yahweh has helped'), with the divine element dropped.
Isaac is from the Hebrew Yiṣḥaq, “he will laugh,” a reference to Sarah’s joy at his birth in Genesis.
Ezra is more popular than Isaac today: about 8,126 US babies were given the name Ezra in 2025, compared with 5,953 named Isaac.
Ezra means help (hebrew origin), while Isaac means He will laugh (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Ezra first appears in 1880 and Isaac in 1880, so Ezra has the longer recorded history.