Yishai is a Hebrew name of unknown origin and meaning. It does not appear in the Bible or in any traditional Jewish sources. Some theories suggest that it may be derived from the Hebrew word "yashar," which means "upright" or "straight," but there is no concrete evidence to support this claim.
The name Yishai was popularized in modern times by Israeli author S. Yizhar, whose real name was Yisrael Shehori. He published a novel called "Yishai" in 1938, which tells the story of a young man who leaves his religious community to join a kibbutz. This book helped to bring the name Yishai into wider use among Jewish communities around the world.
Today, Yishai is still relatively rare outside of Israel, but it can be found in small numbers among Jewish communities throughout the diaspora. It remains a popular choice for parents seeking a unique and meaningful Hebrew name for their children.
Statistics on the Given Name Yishai in the United States:
The name Yishai has seen a notable increase in popularity over the past three decades in the United States. Between 1990 and 2023, there were a total of 396 births registered with this name.
In the early years, the name's frequency was relatively low, with only 5 births recorded each year from 1990 to 1996. However, starting in 1997, we began to see an upward trend, with birth counts varying between 6 and 12 per year until 2006.
The years 2007 to 2009 marked a significant turning point, with the number of Yishais born annually exceeding 15 for the first time. This period also saw the highest peak in popularity for this name, reaching an all-time high of 24 births in 2023.
Notably, there was a slight dip in popularity between 2014 and 2016, with birth counts dropping below 20 each year. However, since then, the trend has reversed, showing a consistent increase in newborns named Yishai.
Overall, these statistics reflect a steady growth in the usage of the name Yishai over time, indicating that it has become more common and widely accepted as a given name for boys in the United States.