Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Isiah

Isiah is an alternate spelling of the Hebrew name Isaiah (whereby the first “a” is dropped). Isaiah was one of the most important of the Major Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The name comes from Hebrew (Yeshayahu) meaning “God is salvation.” Isaiah’s prophesies are important to the Christians since they are believed to foretell the Messiah. They are important to the Jews since Isaiah prophesized that the Children of Israel will be exiled from their homeland but God will not forget them and He will bring them back. Isaiah has long been established as a Jewish name, and also one taken up by the Puritans in the 17th century. The first to embrace Isaiah as a more mainstream American name were African-Americans. Now Isaiah is experiencing much more widespread popularity across all ethnicities and religions. More recent usage of the spelling Isiah may be owed to basketball star Isiah Thomas named one of the 50 greatest hoopsters in NBA history.

All About the Baby Name – Isiah

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME ISIAH

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME ISIAH

This particular spelling of Isaiah has seen surprising success in the United States dating back to at least the 19th century (which is as far back as we have available data). As we progressed into the 20th century, however, Isiah slowly declined in popularity. In fact the name saw almost no usage during the 1970s. Reappearing in 1981, Isiah increased nearly 500 positions in that decade alone. Not coincidentally, Isiah Thomas was at the top of his game (basketball) pretty much throughout the 1980s and early 90s as a 12x All-Star player for the Detroit Pistons. Isiah as a name choice got as high as position #336 in 2001 (not too shabby). The traditional spelling, Isaiah, is currently the 43rd most popular boy’s name in the United States.

Quick Facts

ON ISIAH

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

824

PRONUNCIATION:

eye-ZAY-ah

SIMPLE MEANING:

God is salvation

Characteristics

OF ISIAH

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Isiah

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ISIAH

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Isiah

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ISIAH

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Isiah


Popular Songs

ON ISIAH

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Isiah


Famous People

NAMED ISIAH

Isiah Thomas (basketball player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED ISIAH

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Isiah

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ISIAH

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Isiah