Isabella
Isabella was the 7th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 10,666 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 2010 (22,936). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2 places. More babies were named Isabella in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Latinate form of Isabel (Elizabeth) · Hebrew
Say it iz-uh-BEL-uh /ˌɪzəˈbɛlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #7 girls, unchanged since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 10,666girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201022,936 babies
- Total since 1880
- 417,454babies recorded
What does the name Isabella mean?
Isabella is the Latin and Italian form of Isabel. Isabel arose from the medieval Provençal form Elisabel, a form of Elizabeth. The name therefore goes back to the Hebrew name Elisheba, explained as 'my God is an oath'. Many medieval queens bore it: DMNES lists queens of France, England, Castile and Portugal.
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Biblical Hebrew, “'my God is an oath' (Elisheba)”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Elizabeth'
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Isabel'
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (names.zip, yob*.txt), team3 computation
- Wikidata item Q16290308
- Wiktionary, entry 'Isabella'
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elizabeth'
Nicknames for Isabella
The usual nicknames for Isabella are Bella, Izzy, Isa and Belle. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Isabella in the last five years, 24 were named Bella, against 8 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bella · also for Isabelle, Arabella, Annabelle | Traditional | #136 | 13,458 |
| Izzy · also for Isabelle, Israel | Modern | #1,903 | 536 |
| Isa | Modern | #1,717 | 482 |
| Belle · also for Isabelle, Arabella, Annabelle | Traditional | #1,013 | 1,267 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Isabellas go by each one.
Isabella popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 453 since 1997.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7 | 10,666 |
| 2020 | #7 | 12,226 |
| 2010 | #1 | 22,936 |
| 2000 | #45 | 6,242 |
| 1990 | #890 | 217 |
| 1980 | #2,620 | 36 |
| 1970 | #2,095 | 39 |
| 1960 | #1,528 | 53 |
| 1950 | #1,243 | 55 |
| 1940 | #818 | 76 |
| 1930 | #572 | 142 |
| 1920 | #420 | 252 |
| 1910 | #312 | 151 |
| 1900 | #290 | 128 |
| 1890 | #263 | 91 |
| 1880 | #215 | 50 |
How popular is Isabella, counting every spelling?
Isabella is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #7 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 11,732 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isabella | 10,666 | #7 | 55,417 |
| Izabella | 532 | #564 | 3,435 |
| Isabela | 426 | #664 | 2,168 |
| Izzabella | 28 | #4,807 | 232 |
| Izabela | 37 | #3,939 | 228 |
| Issabella | 43 | #3,540 | 225 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Isabella?
10,666 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Isabella (2.96 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Isabella born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 18. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, a typical elementary school of 430 pupils would have about 1.3 children named Isabella.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Isabella?
About 405,500 people born in the US named Isabella are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 9 and 20. That makes Isabella mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Isabella by state
How common Isabella was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Delaware (2.3×), Rhode Island (2.2×), Nevada (2.0×), Wyoming (2.0×), New Mexico (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Minnesota, Wisconsin.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Isabella: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Isabella, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Isabella · Sibling names for Isabella
Questions about the name Isabella
What does Isabella mean?
Isabella means “Latinate form of Isabel (Elizabeth)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Isabella?
Isabella was the 7th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 10,666 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 2010 (22,936). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2 places. More babies were named Isabella in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Isabella a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Isabella in the US.
Where is Isabella most popular?
In 2021–2025, Isabella was most common in Delaware (15.87 per 1,000 girls), followed by Rhode Island and Nevada.