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Yitzchok

♂ Boy

Pronounced YITS-khok /ˈjɪts.xɒk/High

Meaning: Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation variant of Yitzhak (Isaac), from Hebrew Yitzchaq meaning he will laugh or he laughs; referring to the laughter of Abraham and Sarah at the announcement of Isaac's miraculous birthHigh

In 30 seconds: Yitzchok is the Ashkenazi Jewish pronunciation of Yitzhak (Isaac), a Hebrew name meaning he will laugh, derived from the laughter of Abraham and Sarah upon hearing God's promise of a son in their old age.
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Origin HighHebrew
MeaningAshkenazi Hebrew pronunciation variant of Yitzhak (Isaac), from Hebrew Yitzchaq meaning he will laugh or he laughs; referring to the laughter of Abraham and Sarah at the announcement of Isaac's miraculous birth
U.S. rank (2025)#911 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births261 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2025
Total births (all-time)≈ 5,442

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202519522025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Yitzchok is the Ashkenazi Yiddish and Eastern European Jewish pronunciation of Yitzhak, the modern Israeli Hebrew form of the biblical Yitzchaq (Isaac). The Hebrew root tzachaq means to laugh, and the prefix yi- forms the future tense, giving he will laugh or he laughs. In Genesis 17 and 18, both Abraham and Sarah laugh upon hearing God's promise of a son in their extreme old age — and God instructs them to name the child Isaac as a memorial of this laughter. The Ashkenazi pronunciation Yitzchok (with the characteristic kh sound) reflects Eastern European Jewish phonology.

Yitzchok is the form of the name used in Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities in the United States, Israel, and elsewhere, reflecting continuity with the Ashkenazi liturgical and vernacular tradition. Among secular and non-Orthodox Jews, Yitzhak (the Israeli Hebrew form) or Isaac (the anglicised form) are more common. The Yitzchok spelling is almost exclusively used within traditional Orthodox communities. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yitzhak Rabin used a related spelling, while the most famous modern bearer of the Yitzchok spelling is the Hasidic tradition itself.

Did you know? The Hebrew name Yitzchak (Isaac) encodes one of the Bible's most poignant stories: God tells the 99-year-old Abraham that his wife Sarah, aged 90, will bear a son — and both of them laugh at the impossibility. God then instructs them to name the child Yitzchak (He laughs), making the name a permanent memorial of a moment of disbelief transformed into miraculous joy.
Overall data confidence 95%
Behind the Name — Isaac — Hebrew etymology and variantsGenesis 17–18 (Hebrew Bible) — primary narrative source

Variations

YitzhakIsaacIzaak

Nicknames

YitzyIke

Famous Bearers

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If you like Yitzchok…

Yitzhak— the modern Israeli Hebrew form of the same name with identical meaning
Isaac— the standard anglicised form of the same biblical name used widely outside Orthodox communities
Avraham— Ashkenazi form of Abraham, the patriarch father of Yitzchok, from the same narrative context
Yaakov— Ashkenazi form of Jacob, Isaac's son, from the same Genesis patriarchal lineage

Frequently Asked

What does Yitzchok mean?

Yitzchok is the Ashkenazi form of Hebrew Yitzchak (Isaac), meaning he will laugh — a reference to Abraham and Sarah's laughter at God's promise of a son.

How do you pronounce Yitzchok?

It is said YITS-khok — two syllables, with a guttural kh sound as in the Scottish loch, stress on the first syllable.

Is Yitzchok the same as Isaac?

Yes, Yitzchok, Yitzhak, and Isaac are all forms of the same Hebrew name; Yitzchok is the Ashkenazi Jewish pronunciation used in traditional Orthodox communities.

Who was Isaac/Yitzchok in the Bible?

Isaac was the son miraculously born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age; he is the second of the three patriarchs of Israel and the father of Jacob and Esau.