Yisrael

/Y-IH-S-R-AH-EH-L/

Boy Jewish Hebrew origin MiddleEasternIsraeli

He who wrestled with God — Yisrael is the Hebrew form of Israel, the name given to the patriarch Jacob after he wrestled with a divine being at the Jabbok ford (Genesis 32:24-30). The name means "one who has struggled with God and prevailed" and became the eponym for the entire Jewish people, making it one of the most foundational names in Jewish tradition.

See Yisrael scored for your family

Meaning & origin

Yisrael is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, traditionally used in Jewish families. The name means "He who wrestled with God — Yisrael is the Hebrew form of Israel, the name given to the patriarch Jacob after he wrestled with a divine being at the Jabbok ford (Genesis 32:24-30). The name means "one who has struggled with God and prevailed" and became the eponym for the entire Jewish people, making it one of the most foundational names in Jewish tradition." and belongs to the Divine cluster — names rooted in sacred meaning and spiritual tradition.

Common among MiddleEastern, Israeli families, Yisrael carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.

Numerology of Yisrael

Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Yisrael resonates in either tradition.

Pythagorean
8
material mastery and executive power
Chaldean
7
introspection and spiritual wisdom

How Yisrael sounds

NameRoot scores the phonetic fit of every name against the sound of your last name. The pronunciation of Yisrael breaks down into 7 phonemes: /Y-IH-S-R-AH-EH-L/. In the app, you'll see how those sounds flow with your family name across rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters.

Nicknames

Common affectionate forms of Yisrael — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.

Sruli

The six signals, applied to Yisrael

NameRoot scores every name across six independent dimensions. Here's how Yisrael maps to each — install the app to see the full compatibility score for your specific family.

01 — Birth Star
Nakshatra match
Enter your baby's birth date in the app and we'll compute the nakshatra compatibility score.
02 — Numerology
Destiny alignment
Pythagorean and Chaldean life-path calculations (destiny 8) matched against your family's own numerology profile.
03 — Phonetics
Last-name fit
Rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters measured with IPA to see how Yisrael flows with your family name.
04 — Meaning
Divine
Yisrael belongs to the Divine cluster — names rooted in sacred meaning and spiritual tradition.
05 — Cultural & Tradition
Jewish
As a Jewish name, Yisrael carries religious and cultural weight scored against your family's heritage — plus grandparent-name matches, saint's-day alignment, and generational naming patterns scored against your family tree.
06 — Uniqueness
Popularity balance
How common Yisrael is today versus historically — finding the sweet spot between familiar and forgotten.

Names similar to Yisrael

If Yisrael resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.

From the same tradition

Other Jewish boy names, common in MiddleEastern families

James
Supplanter, the one who grasps the heel and takes the lead — James is the English form of Jacob, the patriarch who wrestled with an angel and would not let go until he received a blessing. Two apostles bore this name, and kings of England and Scotland carried it across centuries. It speaks of tenacity, the refusal to surrender an advantage once gained, and the quiet persistence of faith that holds on even when the struggle seems endless
Elijah
My God is Yahweh, the fiery prophet who rode a chariot to heaven — Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, called fire from the sky, and was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind without dying. His name burns with the absolute devotion of a man who stood alone against an entire kingdom's apostasy and won, armed with nothing but conviction and the fire of the one true God
Benjamin
Son of the right hand, the favoured child — Benjamin is the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel in Genesis, the child whose birth cost his mother her life and whose name she changed with her dying breath from Ben-Oni, son of my sorrow, to Benjamin, son of fortune. His name carries the ache of a love that survives loss and the fierce protectiveness a family wraps around its youngest
Levi
Joined, attached, united in bond — Levi is the third son of Jacob and Leah, whose birth prompted his mother to declare now my husband will be joined to me

Sharing the same meaning

Other Jewish boy names from the Divine cluster

Michael
Who is like God? — a rhetorical question declaring no one compares to God. The archangel Michael leads heaven's armies.
Daniel
God is my judge, the prophet who survived the lions' den — Daniel's faith was tested in the courts of Babylon, where he interpreted dreams, read writing on walls, and was thrown to lions for refusing to worship any king but God. His name carries absolute trust in divine justice, intellectual brilliance deployed in hostile territory, and the calm of a man who sleeps among predators because he knows whose hand holds the lock
Matthew
Gift of God, the tax collector who left everything to follow Christ — Matthew was a publican sitting at his booth when Jesus called him with two words: follow me. He abandoned his ledgers and his livelihood and became the evangelist whose gospel opens the New Testament. His name carries the possibility of sudden, total transformation and the grace that finds unlikely saints in the most despised professions

Names that sound similar

Jewish boy names that open with the same syllables as Yisrael

Yair
He will enlighten, he will give light, from Hebrew Ya'ir, joining the divine subject with the verb to give light, meaning He (God) will enlighten. In the Hebrew Bible, Jair was a judge of Israel who led the people for many years, and the name remains a steady favourite among Israeli families.
Yehuda
Praised, the one who gives thanks — Yehuda is the Hebrew form of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah and the patriarch of the tribe from which the Jewish people take their name. The name means "praise" or "thanksgiving" (from the Hebrew "todah") and Leah named her son Yehuda saying "this time I will praise the Lord" (Genesis 29:35).
Yonatan
The LORD has given — bearing Yonatan connects a child to this heritage

Common questions about Yisrael

What does the name Yisrael mean?

Yisrael means "He who wrestled with God — Yisrael is the Hebrew form of Israel, the name given to the patriarch Jacob after he wrestled with a divine being at the Jabbok ford (Genesis 32:24-30). The name means "one who has struggled with God and prevailed" and became the eponym for the entire Jewish people, making it one of the most foundational names in Jewish tradition.." It is a boy name of Hebrew origin, traditionally used in Jewish families.

Is Yisrael a boy or girl name?

Yisrael is most commonly used as a boy name.

What is the origin of the name Yisrael?

Yisrael is of Hebrew origin, used in Jewish tradition, commonly among MiddleEastern, Israeli families.

What are common nicknames for Yisrael?

Common short forms of Yisrael include Sruli.

What is the numerology of Yisrael?

Yisrael has a Pythagorean destiny number of 8 — material mastery and executive power.

See how Yisrael scores for your family

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