girls' name ★ peaked 2006

Isabel

Meaning my God is an oath Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #177 Trend → Stable

From Spanish Isabel, from Old Occitan Elisabel, from Latin Elisabeth, from Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), from Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elishéva, “my God is an oath”).

Rank 2025
#177
among girls · ↓10 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,746
named Isabel · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 921
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2006
4,019 babies
All-time total
133,977
#307 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Isabel popularity over time

133,977 babies have been named Isabel since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 1,053 – 1,053 105 – #161
1890s 2,047 – 2,047 205 +94% #168
1900s 2,926 11 2,937 294 +43% #169
1910s 7,668 129 7,797 780 +165% #168
1920s 8,315 315 8,630 863 +11% #199
1930s 4,442 262 4,704 470 -45% #257
1940s 3,435 259 3,694 369 -21% #360
1950s 4,041 174 4,215 422 +14% #390
1960s 3,718 134 3,852 385 -9% #490
1970s 3,940 145 4,085 409 +6% #462
1980s 4,962 140 5,102 510 +25% #404
1990s 16,104 142 16,246 1,625 +218% #97
2000s 36,042 83 36,125 3,613 +122% #83
2010s 22,586 28 22,614 2,261 -37% #116
2020s (to 2025) 10,871 5 10,876 1,813 -20% #146

Where Isabel is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 1,724 1.07 #180
2027 1,706 1.06 #181
2028 1,690 1.05 #182
2029 1,677 1.04 #185
2030 1,666 1.04 #188

Where Isabel is most popular

Girls named Isabel per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.12 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, South Dakota, and Massachusetts.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Isabel born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 44 3.71 +231%
South Dakota 35 2.45 +119%
Massachusetts 269 2.22 +98%
Oregon 140 2.15 +92%
New Mexico 52 2.14 +91%
Hawaii 24 2.09 +87%
Colorado 225 2.02 +80%
Connecticut 107 1.84 +64%
Washington 261 1.81 +61%
Minnesota 194 1.80 +60%
California 1,494 1.78 +58%
Nevada 82 1.77 +57%
Nebraska 62 1.72 +54%
Kansas 99 1.72 +53%
Montana 22 1.63 +45%
Delaware 18 1.59 +41%
Arizona 220 1.57 +40%
Illinois 339 1.48 +32%
Wyoming 6 1.41 +25%
Maryland 149 1.41 +25%
Texas 1,129 1.40 +25%
Virginia 237 1.39 +24%
New Jersey 249 1.38 +23%
Maine 21 1.36 +21%
New York 534 1.35 +20%
Idaho 45 1.34 +20%
Wisconsin 136 1.32 +18%
New Hampshire 24 1.30 +16%
Michigan 236 1.30 +16%
Florida 536 1.25 +12%
Oklahoma 92 1.25 +11%
Vermont 6 1.24 +10%
Utah 102 1.23 +9%
Rhode Island 15 1.20 +7%
North Carolina 260 1.14 ≈ national
South Carolina 97 1.08 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 248 1.05 -6%
Ohio 235 0.990 -12%
Georgia 225 0.990 -12%
Iowa 56 0.958 -15%
Missouri 115 0.954 -15%
North Dakota 12 0.913 -19%
Indiana 124 0.883 -21%
Tennessee 138 0.871 -22%
Arkansas 45 0.851 -24%
Alabama 77 0.820 -27%
Alaska 7 0.813 -28%
Louisiana 71 0.811 -28%
Kentucky 69 0.807 -28%
Mississippi 29 0.620 -45%
West Virginia – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Isabel

Isabel is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #177 in 2025 with 1,746 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 133,977 American babies have been named Isabel. Its peak came in 2006, when 4,019 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Isabel stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Isabel?

The median living Isabel is about 21 years old; half are between 13 and 29. An estimated 105 thousand people named Isabel are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Isabel year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 1,746 #177 – –
2024 1,826 #167 – –
2023 1,753 #164 – –
2022 1,858 #156 5 #13,094
2021 1,917 #146 – –
2020 1,771 #157 – –
2019 2,059 #134 5 #12,896
2018 2,068 #139 – –
2017 2,036 #145 – –
2016 2,120 #145 5 #12,961
2015 2,177 #149 – –
2014 2,331 #144 5 #12,799
2013 2,341 #136 7 #10,064
2012 2,383 #135 – –
2011 2,413 #128 – –
2010 2,658 #116 6 #11,268
2009 2,988 #109 – –
2008 3,489 #97 6 #11,603
2007 3,864 #87 5 #13,091
2006 4,009 #87 10 #7,642
2005 3,611 #89 9 #7,890
2004 3,638 #88 14 #5,593
2003 3,853 #83 10 #6,917
2002 3,651 #85 9 #7,267
2001 3,491 #88 8 #7,824
2000 3,448 #94 12 #5,707
1995 1,297 #217 12 #4,915
1990 785 #339 18 #3,367
1985 515 #428 18 #2,761
1980 496 #435 12 #3,495
1975 408 #462 20 #2,246
1970 415 #483 18 #2,164
1965 327 #527 16 #2,029
1960 391 #492 15 #2,165
1955 450 #417 15 #2,086
1950 362 #421 15 #1,972
1945 275 #430 20 #1,510
1940 328 #360 27 #1,298
1935 425 #292 27 #1,309
1930 595 #257 33 #1,243
1925 900 #212 38 #1,155
1920 992 #199 29 #1,361
1915 943 #177 13 #2,117
1910 389 #176 10 #1,078
1905 292 #176 – –
1900 286 #185 – –
1895 212 #184 – –
1890 160 #186 – –
1885 102 #185 – –
1880 81 #161 – –

Famous people named Isabel

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Isabel Preysler Isabel Preysler Spanish and Filipino journalist, socialite, and television host b. 1951 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Isabel Allende Isabel Allende Chilean-American writer (born 1942) Contemporary
  3. 3 Isabel Lucas Isabel Lucas Australian actress and model (born 1985) Contemporary
  4. 4 Isabel Sanford Isabel Sanford American actress (1917–2004) Contemporary
  5. 5 Isabel Díaz Ayuso Isabel Díaz Ayuso Spanish politician (born 1978) Contemporary
  6. 6 Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence English noblewoman (1451–1476) Medieval
  7. 7 Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil Heir to the Brazilian throne (1846–1921) 19th century
  8. 8 Isabel dos Santos Isabel dos Santos Angolan businesswoman (born 1973) Contemporary
  9. 9 Isabel Pantoja Isabel Pantoja Spanish singer b. 1956 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Isabel Sarli Isabel Sarli Argentinian actress (1935–2019) 1929–2019 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Isabel Jewell Isabel Jewell American actress (1907–1972) Contemporary
  12. 12 Isabel Coixet Isabel Coixet Spanish film director (born 1960) Contemporary
  13. 13 Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira Portuguese infanta (1669–1690) 17th century
  14. 14 Isabel of Coimbra Isabel of Coimbra Queen of Portugal from 1447 to 1455 1432–1455 · Medieval
  15. 15 Isabel Kerschowski Isabel Kerschowski German footballer (born 1988) Contemporary
  16. 16 Isabel Celaá Isabel Celaá Spanish politician b. 1949 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Isabel Martínez de Perón Isabel Martínez de Perón President of Argentina from 1974 to 1976 b. 1931 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Isabel Fernández Isabel Fernández Bolivian journalist, politician, and former Minister of Communication (2020) b. 1972 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Isabel, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Isabel?

The median living Isabel is about 21 years old. Half of all living Isabels are between 13 and 29 years old.

How many people named Isabel are alive today?

An estimated 105 thousand people named Isabel are alive in the United States, based on 133,977 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Isabel mean?

From Spanish Isabel, from Old Occitan Elisabel, from Latin Elisabeth, from Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), from Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elishéva, “my God is an oath”).

How popular is the name Isabel in 2025?

Isabel ranked #177 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,746 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Isabel?

133,977 babies have been named Isabel in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Isabel most popular?

Isabel peaked in 2006, when 4,019 newborns received the name.

Is Isabel a boy or girl name?

Isabel is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Isabel rising or falling?

Isabel is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Isabel become more popular?

Isabel looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,666 girls named Isabel in 2030, ranking around #188. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Isabel?

Well-known people named Isabel include Isabel Preysler (celebrity), Isabel Allende (writer), Isabel Lucas (actor).

Names like Isabel

Names that sound and feel close to Isabel: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Isabel with similar names → More names starting with I →