Isabel
Top 1000
About Isabel
Isabel derived from Elizabeth in southwest Europe during the Middle Ages. It was originally written as Elisabel, but the first syllable was dropped as it spread across the continent. In Spain and Portugal, Isabel and Elizabeth are considered to be variations of the same name, but they are treated as separate names in other European countries and the US.
The charming Isabel is hugely fashionable again, a century after its first wave of success. And it's easy to see why: it's ladylike (a la Isabel Archer in Henry James's Portrait of a Lady) and melodic, traditional yet slightly offbeat. Isabel sounds smart as well as pretty.
Two noted cultural namesakes are Chilean author Isabel Allende and painter Isabel Bishop, as well as Cuban-American fashion designer Isabel Toledo.
The only downside: with Isabella's recent popularity, there are so many other little Isabels, Isabelles, Isabellas, Belles, and Bellas, yours would be far from unique.
The Office's Angela Kinsley named her baby girl Isabel, and Annette Bening and Warren Beatty have a teen-aged Isabel.
Isabelle is the French version, Isabella the Italian one, and Isobel the Scottish spelling, which has a definite character of her own, the 'o' giving her an extra infusion of strength.
Nifty nicknames include Izzy, Ibby, Isa and Belle.
Pronounced iz-uh-BEL.
As of October 2026, Isabel ranked #177 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #83 in 2003, Nameberry popularity #178.
Editor's take: The name Isabel is a girl's name of Spanish origin meaning "pledged to God".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #144 | 2,331 | 1,304.9 |
| 2015 | #149 | 2,176 | 1,219 |
| 2016 | #145 | 2,119 | 1,195.8 |
| 2017 | #145 | 2,036 | 1,179.3 |
| 2018 | #139 | 2,068 | 1,215.7 |
| 2019 | #134 | 2,059 | 1,226.8 |
| 2020 | #157 | 1,771 | 1,095.5 |
| 2021 | #146 | 1,916 | 1,167.7 |
| 2022 | #156 | 1,857 | 1,132.2 |
| 2023 | #164 | 1,751 | 1,091.2 |
| 2024 | #167 | 1,820 | 1,123.3 |
| 2025 | #177 | 1,746 | 1,086.3 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Isabel.
- Natalie
- Annabelle
- Leah
- Isabelle
- Eva
- Abigail
- Lillian
- Julia
- Hannah
- Madeline
- Katherine
- Madeleine
- Alexandra
- Sofia
- Sophie
- Gabriella
- Annabel
- Naomi
- Zoe
- Gabrielle
Isabel on lists
Famous Isabels
- Isabel the Catholic
Queen of Castile, Leon, and Aragon, mother of Catherine of Aragon and Joanna I of Castile
- Maria Isabel Francisca of Portugal
Queen consort of Ferdinand VII of Spain
- Isabel of Coimbra
Queen consort of Afonso V of Portugal
- Isabel Inês
Princess Royal of Portugal, Duchess of Braganza, wife of Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, pretender to the defunct Portuguese throne
- Isabel Cristina Leopoldina Augusta Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga
Princess Imperial of Brazil
- Isabel Allende (Llona)
Chilean,American novelist
- Maria Estela "Isabel" Martinez Cartas de Peron
41st President of Argentina
- Isabel Bayrakdarian
Armenian,American operatic soprano
- Isabel Godin des Odonais
Peruvian Amazon explorer
- Eloise Gwendolyn "Isabel" Sanford
American actress
- Isabel Lucas
Australian actress
- Isabel Toledo
Cuban,American designer
- Isabel Bishop
American artist and painter
- Isabel Bigley
American actress
- Isabel Neville
Duchess of Clarence, daughter of Kingmaker Earl of Warwick
- Isabel Luisa Josefa
Princess of Beira; daughter of Peter II of Portugal
- Isabel Maria Alberta Josefa Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Francisca de Paula e de Assis Teresa Adelaide Eulália Sofia Carolina of Braganza
Infante of Portugal; daughter of Duke Miguel
- Isabel Alfonsa María Teresa Antonia Cristina Mercedes Carolina Adelaida Rafaela of Bourbon
Two Sicilies, Infanta of Spain; daughter of Prince Carlos
- Isabel Maria da Conceição Joana Gualberta Ana Francisca de Assis Xavier de Paula de Alcântara Antónia Rafaela Micaela Gabriela Joaquina Gonzaga
Infanta and Regent of Portugal
- Maria Isabel "Chabeli" Iglesias
Spanish socialite; daughter of singer Julio Iglesias and (Maria) Isabel Preysler
- Rosario Isabel Dawson
American actress
- (Maria) Isabel Pantoja (Martin)
singer
- Isabel Briggs Myers
American author and personality inventory creator
- Isabel Gomez (b. 2000)
daughter of actress Natasha Klauss and Victor Gomez
- Isabel Crick (b. 2006)
daughter of TV journalist Michael Crick
- Isabel Ruby Lieberstein (b. 2008)
daughter of actress Angela Kinsey and Warren Lieberstein
- Isabel Veronica Mulroney (b. 2013)
daughter of TV presenter Ben Mulroney and designer Jessica Brownstein
- Isabel Totti (b. 2016)
daughter of footballer Francesco Totti and TV host Ilary Blasi
- María Isabel "Isabel" Allende Bussi
Daughter of Chilean President Salvador Allende, Chilean politician, distant cousin of writer Isabel Allende
Isabel in pop culture
- Isabel O'Sullivan
a main character in the "St Clare" book series by Enid Blyton
- Isabel Archer
main character in Henry James' "The Portrait of a Lady"
- Isabel Cantelli
main character in 'Goddess of Legend' by PC Cast
- Isabel Evans
character on TV's "Roswell"
- Isabel Bradley
character in W. Somerset Maugham's "The Razor's Edge"
- Isabel Gardner
main character in "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Isabel "Belly" Conklin
main character in Jenny Han's "The Summer I Turned Pretty"
- Isabel Gutierrez
character on TV's "The Simpsons"
- Isabel
character on TV's "Hannah Montana"
- Isabel Malone
character in novel "Mosquitoland"
- Isabel Culpeper
character in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater
- Isabel "Isa" Castillo Flores
character on TV's "Elena of Avalor"
- Isabel Magnolia
character from "Attack on Titan"
- "Isabel
" song by Frank Turner
- Lady Isabel and the Elf
Knight, medieval ballad
- Isabel
Julia Roberts's character in the film "Stepmom"
- Isabel
character in Pam Munoz Ryan's "Esperanza Rising".
- Isabel Parker-Green
Character in Ashley Herring-Blake's "Bright Falls" series
- "Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight"
A ballad in the 19th century collection "The Child Ballads"
Variations & nicknames
- IseabailScottish
- IseabalScottish
- IsobelGerman
- IzabeleRussian
- IsabelitaSpanish
- IzaPolish
- YsabelSpanish
- IsabellaItalian
- BelaRussian
- ZobelArmenian
- IzabelaRussian
- IsibealHebrew
- IzbelRussian
- IsabeauFrench
- IsobellaGerman
- IsibéalIrish Gaelic
- IsobelleGerman
- BellaRussian
- IsaGerman
- YsabelleSpanish
- YsabellaSpanish
- IzabelPolish
- IshbelScottish
- IsabelleFrench