The Isaacs surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,951 people carried this name — #2,422 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 19,700 people counted. That is up 4% from 14,379 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Isaacs surname

A surname originating as a patronymic, derived from Isaac.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Isaacs» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Isaac’.

An early record he cites: Robert fil. Isaac, Lincolnshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls. Fil. is Latin for “son of”.

His entry covers Isaac, Isaacs and Isaacson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 420 · public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

42 people named Isaacs is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 42

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Isaacs was found among the farmers of Devon: 8 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Devon 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

34 families named Isaacs, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 164 people lived in those households, 4.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 9
South Carolina 7
Pennsylvania 5
Connecticut 4
Maryland 4
North Carolina 2
New Hampshire 1
Rhode Island 1
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 247 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Isaacs in American newspapers,
1856–1910.

Newspaper page from Ellsworth American carrying the name Isaacs
Ellsworth American 1856-04-18
Newspaper page from The Daily Missoulian carrying the name Isaacs
The Daily Missoulian 1910-12-11
Newspaper page from Red Lodge Picket carrying the name Isaacs
Red Lodge Picket 1900-03-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Isaacs in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

143,443 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Isaacs. The most, 34,571, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 50,350
Victoria 42,552
Queensland 23,533
South Australia 14,430
Western Australia 6,705
Tasmania 5,069
ACT (Canberra) 571
Northern Territory 162

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Isaacs.

Who carried it

People named Isaacs,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel Meyer Isaacs
    Samuel Meyer Isaacs 1804–1878 · rabbi
  • Fanny Roberta Isaacs d. 1931
  • Phoebe Isaacs d. 1953
  • Nelly Rose Isaacs d. 1942
  • Elijah Isaacs 1730–1799 · politician
  • Samuel Isaacs 1759–1865

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Isaacs,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,056 records

3,056 records of the Isaacs name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,652
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 516
  • Other U.S. records 888
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Milo Clinton Isaacs

    Born 1930; from Temple, Texas. U.S. Army, food service specialist; killed in action 1970 in Lam Dong, South Vietnam. Buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hobert M. Isaacs

    Born 1922 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1942 at Cincinnati, Ohio; machine shop worker from Hamilton County, Ohio. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at West Chester Cemetery, Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Michael Isaacs

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Westernland from Antwerp, aged 18; butcher. From Bailey Ia, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 3,056 records for Isaacs in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,314 records

1,314 records of the Isaacs name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 924
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 129
  • Other Australian records 261
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Moses Isaacs

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Palmyra, sailing from Portsmouth in 1846. Native of Spitalfields, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Isaacs

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Richmond, sailing from Downs in 1821. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lewis R. Isaacs

    Arrived in Queensland in 1884 aboard the Duke of Westminster, aged 16.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,314 records for Isaacs in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands469 records

469 records of the Isaacs name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 199
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 145
  • Dutch population registers 125
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jacobus Isaacs

    Married in 1824 in Rotterdam. Died 1880 in Rotterdam, aged 80.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Rachel Isaacs

    Born 1861 in Sneek. Married in 1887 in Amsterdam; domestic servant.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Benjamin Isaacs

    Married in 1923 in Amersfoort. Died 1942 in Leusden, aged 54.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 469 records for Isaacs in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada33 records

33 records of the Isaacs name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 16
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 5
  • Other Canadian records 12
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Isaacs

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the European, bound for Bradford, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gwendolyn D. Isaacs

    Buried in 1957 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 18.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Isaacs

    Died 1961 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 33 records for Isaacs in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom19 records

19 records of the Isaacs name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 16
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Isaacs

    Buried in 1830 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 56.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Isaacs

    Leicestershire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. H. Isaacs

    Welsh Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Isaacs in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand17 records

17 records of the Isaacs name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 10
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Lewis Isaacs

    Buried in 1931 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 84.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Ututaonga Isaacs

    Died 1980, aged 58; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alfred Nutro Gordon Isaacs

    Died 1974, aged 64; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Isaacs in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Isaacs.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Isaacs is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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