Fun Facts About the Name Israa
- 675 babies named Israa: U.S. records list 675 babies given the name Israa from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Israa Mean?
Israa is an Arabic name meaning "night journey." It comes from the Arabic noun isrāʾ (إسراء), the verbal noun of the form IV verb asrā, "to travel or journey by night." Both derive from the root س-ر-ي (s-r-y), which carries the idea of traveling in the night hours. The literal sense is simply a journey made at night; the religious meaning attached to the word comes from the event it names, not from a separate symbolic layer added later.
Israa is not related to the name Israel, even though the two look alike in English letters. Israel goes back to Hebrew Yisraʾel, while Israa is Arabic and comes from a different root.
Israa Name History & Origins
The word isrāʾ is familiar to Muslims mainly from the Qur'an, where it opens Surah 17, al-Isrāʾ: God is praised as the one who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque. This verse is understood to refer to the Night Journey, the tradition that the Prophet Muhammad was carried from Mecca to Jerusalem, an episode that Islamic tradition joins to the Miʿrāj, his ascent through the heavens. Because the word is tied to that account, it carries religious weight, and Israa became a given name for girls in Arabic-speaking and other Muslim communities.
The name is written إسراء in Arabic, ending in a hamza (a glottal stop) that is often dropped in English spelling and speech. Common transliterations include Israa, Isra, and Esraa. The Turkish names İsra and Esra look similar and are sometimes linked to it, but that connection is not certain, and they also have other possible sources in Arabic and Turkish usage. Within the Arab world the name appears across countries from the Levant to North Africa; outside it, it is found mainly among Muslim families in South Asia, Turkey, and Western diaspora communities.
How Popular is the Name Israa?
Israa has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2017. Its best rank was #3,727 in 2017.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,146 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #4,688 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2023 | #5,171 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #5,374 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #5,294 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2020 | #5,723 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2019 | #5,677 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2018 | #4,809 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2017 | #3,727 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 2016 | #5,354 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2015 | #5,039 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2014 | #5,370 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2013 | #6,107 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #5,162 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2011 | #6,018 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2010 | #6,746 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2009 | #8,617 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #8,685 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #7,871 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #6,977 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #11,253 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #10,192 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #5,148 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2002 | #6,504 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #5,439 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2000 | #5,559 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #6,296 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1998 | #8,211 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #5,986 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #7,783 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #7,715 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #8,367 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #12,365 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #8,310 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #9,658 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #9,585 | 8 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Israa
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with I
Short Girl Names That Start with I
How the Name Israa Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Israa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Israa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.