Ishmael

Ishmael is a male given name: 100% of people named Ishmael are men, and it is recorded as male in 1 of the 1 countries covered.

MaleHigh

Male 100%Female 0%

Verdict: Male
Male / female split: 100% male / 0% female
Confidence: High (64 or more weighted country observations)
Most common in: United States
US births since 1880: 5,758 male / 0 female
Data: nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
Updated: 2026-09-11

How to address Ishmael

When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ishmael," in English, "Guten Tag Ishmael," in German. Ishmael is a male given name: about 100% of people named Ishmael are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.

Ready-made greetings in six languages

English

Dear Ishmael,

German

Guten Tag Ishmael,

French

Bonjour Ishmael,

Spanish

Estimado/a Ishmael:

Chinese

Ishmael您好：

Japanese

Ishmael様

English

Hi Ishmael,

German

Hi Ishmael,

French

Salut Ishmael,

Spanish

Hola Ishmael,

Chinese

Ishmael你好：

Japanese

Ishmaelさん

Greeting generator

This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.

Country breakdown

Gender of the name Ishmael by country (nam_dict, 55 country columns)
Country	How common	Usually	Male share
United States	common	man's name	100%

United States birth data

5,758 male · 0 female · 5,758 births recorded

Male 100%Female 0%

Since 1980: 100% male.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ishmael a male or female name?

Ishmael is a male given name: 100% of people named Ishmael are men, and it is recorded as male in 1 of the 1 countries covered.

How do I address Ishmael in an email?

Is Ishmael a unisex name?

Ishmael is not a unisex name: 100% of people named Ishmael are men. Ishmael leans strongly male overall.

Sources

Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.

Cite this page

DearWho, "Is Ishmael a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ishmael (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.

BibTeX

@misc{dearwho_ishmael,
  title  = {Is Ishmael a male or female name?},
  author = {{DearWho}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ishmael},
  note   = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}