Isadora

For a long time, Isadora has been overlooked in favor of Isabella, owing perhaps to its association with the tragic modern dancer, Isadora Duncan, or because parents would rather their daughter be a Bella than a Dora. Now, with Theodora back in the charts and vintage names in vogue, Isadora has been slowly gaining more attention over the last decade.

Derived from Greek, Isadora is the feminine form of Isidore, comprised of the elements Isis, the Egyptian goddess of the sky and nature, and doron meaning "gift". Isidora is an alternative but equally well-established spelling, used by a fourth century saint.

Quirky couple singer Bjork and artist Matthew Barney were ahead of the trends when they named their daughter Isadora back in 2002, while fictional Isadoras include Isadora Wing, the liberated central character of Erica Jong's 1973 bestseller Fear of Flying, Isadora Quagmire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the half-fairy-half-vampire titular character of Harriet Muncaster's series, Isadora Moon.

Given to around 150 girls in the US in a recent year, an Isadora could have the popular nickname Izzy, though Dora, Rory, Sadie, and Isa might be alternatives.

Pronounced iz-uh-DOR-uh.

As of October 2026, Isadora ranked #1265 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #654 in 1882, Nameberry popularity #279.