Yisrael

Yisrael is the Hebrew form of Israel, the name given to Jacob after his wrestling encounter in Genesis. The biblical story explains it through the idea of struggling with God, making the narrative an essential part of the name’s meaning. It later becomes a name for Jacob’s descendants as well as for the individual patriarch.

The initial Y in Yisrael reflects the Hebrew opening sound more visibly than the familiar English spelling Israel. That can matter to families who want to preserve the Hebrew form in Latin letters. The name carries both a personal biblical identity and a wider collective history, so its significance often extends well beyond the brief translation displayed beside it.