From the Hebrew name יִצְחָק (Yitzchaq) meaning "he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from צָחַק (tzachaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see Genesis 17:17). When Issac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of Esau and Jacob.As an English Christian name, Isaac was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, though it was more common among Jews. It became more widespread after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers include the physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) and the science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992).
Famous People: Isaac Newtonwiki (Physicist, 1642, United Kingdom), Isaac Asimovwiki (Writer, 1920, Russia), Isaac Bashevis Singerwiki (Writer, 1902, Poland), Isidor Isaac Rabiwiki (Physicist, 1898, Poland), Isaac Albénizwiki (Musician, 1860, Spain), Jerome Isaac Friedmanwiki (Physicist, 1930, United States), Isaac II Angeloswiki (Politician, 1156, Unknown), Isaac Hayeswiki (Musician, 1942, United States), Isaac I Komnenoswiki (Politician, 1005, Unknown), Isaac Babelwiki (Writer, 1894, Ukraine)