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Isabel Name Meaning, Origins & History

Isabel

Pronunciation: IZ-uh-bel

Meaning Pledged to God Origin Hebrew Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#177
TREND
10
Peak Years
2006, 2007, 2003
Lowest Years
1882, 1881, 1880
Energy Archetype
Compassionate & Creative

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Isabel in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Isabel

  • More than 133 thousand babies named Isabel: U.S. records list 133,960 babies given the name Isabel from 1880 through 2025. Even 1,827 boys received the name Isabel - about 1 boy for every 72 girls.

What Does the Name Isabel Mean?

Isabel is a form of the name Elizabeth, and it shares Elizabeth's traditional meaning, "God is my oath." The name ultimately comes from the Hebrew Elisheva, which is usually understood as combining El, a word for God, with a second element related to an oath. The same Hebrew name passed into Greek as Elisabet and into Latin as Elisabeth, the source of Elizabeth and its many European variants.

Isabel is not a separate etymological invention; it is a medieval variant of that Elizabeth family, developed in Romance-speaking regions and later established in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. The customary translation "God is my oath" depends on one reading of the Hebrew second element. Because that element is also sometimes explained as "seven" or "abundance," the precise literal sense of the original name is not certain, though the Elizabeth connection is well established.

Isabel Name History & Origins

Isabel arose in medieval Europe as a variant of Elizabeth. The form is found in Old French and Occitan as Isabel, and it also appears in Spain, Portugal, and England. The exact route by which the Elizabeth form became Isabel is not fully documented; it is generally treated as a medieval Romance-language variant rather than a separate root.

In Spain the name is written Isabel. Queen Isabella I of Castile (1451 - 1504), known in Spanish as Isabel, is a notable historical bearer; through Spanish and Portuguese colonization the name later spread to the Americas. In England, Isabel was used in the Middle Ages as a name in its own right, distinct from Elizabeth, and it remained in use in later centuries. Related forms include Isabella, Isabelle, and Isobel; Isabella is especially associated with Italian and Spanish usage. The name also appears in later literature, for example as the given name of Isabel Archer in Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady (1881), but that literary use is much later than the name's medieval history and did not create it.

How Popular is the Name Isabel?

Isabel recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2006. Isabel entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 1999.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Famous People Named Isabel

Isabel Briggs Myers
Isabel Briggs Myers

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How the Name Isabel Shapes Your Personality and Life?

Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.

Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.

✦ Isabel's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Isabel's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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