Israel Family History

Jewish: from the Hebrew male personal name Yisrael ‘Fighter of God’. In the Bible this is a byname bestowed on Jacob after he had wrestled with the angel at the ford of Jabbok (Genesis 32:24–8). name adopted by Jews with reference to the ancient Kingdom of Israel, destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 bc, or to the concept of Jewish nationhood, or, in modern times, to the state of Israel. Comparatively recent adoption of the Biblical name in Britain among Nonconformists, especially in Wales. altered form of Ezell.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press