Meaning: Its source is Yishmael, a Hebrew name meaning "God hears."

Languages: This boy's name is used in Spanish.

Popularity: The name Ismael ranked 319th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 429th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Narrative: The Arabic form of this name is Ismail, and it is a name of great importance to the Arabic people.

In the Jewish scriptures, Ishmael was the son of Hagar, the concubine of Abraham. When Abraham's wife, Sarah, miraculously gave birth to Isaac at an advanced age, she convinced Abraham to abandon Hagar and Ishmael in the desert.

God intervened to save them, and Ishmael survived to become the patriarch of the Arab people.