girls' name ★ peaked 2016

Isobel

Meaning A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Isabel Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,307 Trend → Stable

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Isabel.

Rank 2025
#2,307
among girls · ↑29 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
79
named Isobel
How common
1 in 20,345
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2016
129 babies
All-time total
3,802
#3,085 all-time among girls
First recorded
1894
in Social Security records

Isobel popularity over time

3,802 babies have been named Isobel since 1894, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2016Girls

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 Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s 42 4 – #1,086
1900s 129 13 +207% #863
1910s 366 37 +184% #817
1920s 422 42 +15% #978
1930s 190 19 -55% #1,246
1940s 81 8 -57% #2,482
1950s 51 5 -37% #3,780
1960s 12 1 -76% #5,487
1970s 13 1 +8% #6,596
1980s 7 1 -46% #9,628
1990s 270 27 +3757% #2,413
2000s 715 72 +165% #1,888
2010s 981 98 +37% #1,664
2020s (to 2025) 523 87 -11% #1,996

Where Isobel 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 78 0.05 outside top 500
2027 78 0.05 outside top 500
2028 77 0.05 outside top 500
2029 76 0.05 outside top 500
2030 76 0.05 outside top 500

Where Isobel is most popular

Girls named Isobel per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.053 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Iowa, and Pennsylvania.

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 Isobel 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
Massachusetts 19 0.157 +197%
Iowa 5 0.086 +62%
Pennsylvania 20 0.085 +60%
New York 31 0.078 +48%
California 45 0.054 ≈ national
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -8%
Georgia 11 0.048 -8%
Virginia 6 0.035 -33%
Texas 23 0.029 -46%
Illinois 6 0.026 -50%
Ohio 5 0.021 -60%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Isobel

Isobel is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,307 in 2025 with 79 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1894, 3,802 American babies have been named Isobel. Its peak came in 2016, when 129 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Isobel stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Isobel?

The median living Isobel is about 14 years old; half are between 7 and 22. An estimated 2,700 people named Isobel are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

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

Isobel year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 79 #2,307
2024 79 #2,336
2023 95 #2,055
2022 84 #2,233
2021 92 #2,077
2020 94 #1,996
2019 91 #2,079
2018 89 #2,137
2017 112 #1,836
2016 129 #1,664
2015 93 #2,098
2014 98 #2,016
2013 100 #1,971
2012 85 #2,215
2011 82 #2,283
2010 102 #1,965
2009 95 #2,126
2008 81 #2,386
2007 110 #1,888
2006 78 #2,408
2005 52 #3,067
2004 50 #3,092
2003 67 #2,449
2002 69 #2,338
2001 57 #2,646
2000 56 #2,645
1995 27 #3,920
1990 10 #8,104
1985 – –
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 7 #6,596
1965 7 #5,487
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 5 #5,612
1945 6 #4,243
1940 12 #2,482
1935 18 #1,874
1930 33 #1,333
1925 49 #1,096
1920 35 #1,329
1915 38 #1,107
1910 17 #1,090
1905 17 #910
1900 7 #1,644
1895 10 #1,086
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Isobel?

The median living Isobel is about 14 years old. Half of all living Isobels are between 7 and 22 years old.

How many people named Isobel are alive today?

An estimated 2,700 people named Isobel are alive in the United States, based on 3,802 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Isobel mean?

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Isabel.

How popular is the name Isobel in 2025?

Isobel ranked #2,307 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 79 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Isobel?

3,802 babies have been named Isobel in the United States since 1894, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Isobel most popular?

Isobel peaked in 2016, when 129 newborns received the name.

Is Isobel a boy or girl name?

Isobel is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Isobel rising or falling?

Isobel has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Isobel become more popular?

Isobel looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 76 girls named Isobel in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Isobel

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

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