Yitzchak
/jɪt͡sˈχak/noun
A Hebrew masculine given name, traditionally rendered as Isaac in English.
Did you know?In Genesis, the name is linked to Sarah’s laughter when she hears she will bear a child in old age, making laughter part of the name’s origin story.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
יִצְחָק (Yitsḥaq)
“He will laugh, or he laughs; formed from the Semitic root צחק, associated with laughter.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
Ἰσαάκ (Isaak)
“Greek transliteration of the Hebrew personal name, used in the Septuagint.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Isaac
“Latin form adopted from Greek and used in Christian biblical tradition.”
Old English
English
Isaac
“The biblical personal name transmitted through Latin religious texts.”
Middle English
English
Isaac
“Established English form of the patriarch’s name.”
Modern English
English
Yitzchak
“A modern transliteration reflecting the Hebrew pronunciation more closely than Isaac.”