Isabella
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Meaning
"God is my oath," as the medieval form of Elizabeth that Spain, Portugal, and Italy made their own; the name of queens from Castile to England, and a four-syllable classic that softens to Bella, Izzy, and Isa
Goes by Bella, Belle, Isa, Izzy. See all nicknames
Famously borne by Isabella Bird, one of the first women elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
The story
Isabella began in the Middle Ages as the southern European form of Elizabeth, keeping its Hebrew meaning, God is my oath, while Spain, Portugal, and Italy made the sound their own. It became a name of queens: Isabella of Castile bankrolled the voyage of Columbus, and medieval England was ruled beside queens Isabella from France and Angouleme. In America it stayed far from fashion for a century, then climbed steeply from the 1990s and reached number one around the turn of the 2010s, just as readers were meeting Isabella Swan, the Bella of the Twilight books. The name was already rising before the vampires arrived, so they cannot take all the credit, but the timing of its final leap is hard to ignore. It has since eased only a little, a four-syllable classic that softens naturally to Bella, Izzy, and Isa.
Isabella across languages
One shared root links 26 names across 6 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Elisheva, "my God is an oath"
The constellation
20 more branches of this family
On record since at least the 13th century: Isabella of France, queen of England.
How popular is Isabella around the world?
In the United States, 67,693 babies were named Isabella between 2020 and 2025. In Argentina, 8,379 newborns were given the name Isabella in 2024.
Isabella is on the official records of the United States, Argentina, Chile, Mexico City, Puerto Rico, South Australia, England and Wales, Austria, Montevideo, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Canada, New South Wales, Spain, Brazil, France and Poland.
Isabella crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record, of a Spanish-speaking one and of Brazil’s 2022 census, which counts people of every age. The full lists: English and Spanish · English and Portuguese · Spanish and Portuguese
United States
1 in 320
In the United States, 67,693 babies were named Isabella between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Isabella peaked in the 2010s. Isabella went to 15,688 US babies in 2015 and 10,666 in 2025, 68% of the earlier figure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Argentina
1 in 79
In Argentina, 8,379 newborns were given the name Isabella in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Chile
1 in 83
In Chile, 2,156 girls were registered as Isabella in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Mexico City City
1 in 130
In Mexico City, there were 871 registrations of Isabella in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (37 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Puerto Rico
1 in 200
In Puerto Rico, 90 babies were named Isabella in 2025, and 2,514 have carried the name since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
South Australia
1 in 3302017
In South Australia, 56 girls were registered as Isabella in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 350
In England and Wales, 1,690 girls named Isabella were born in 2025, the 10th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Austria
1 in 400
In Austria, 191 girls named Isabella were born in 2025, the 38th most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Montevideo City
1 in 4202011
In Montevideo, 59 girls named Isabella were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
New Zealand
1 in 490
In New Zealand, 118 girls named Isabella were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Ireland
1 in 550
In Ireland, 99 girls named Isabella were born in 2025, the 48th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Norway
1 in 580register 2026
In Norway, 46 girls were given the name Isabella in 2025.
share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
Scotland
1 in 580
In Scotland, 79 girls named Isabella were registered in 2024, the 50th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Canada
1 in 610
In Canada, 601 girls named Isabella were born in 2024, the 24th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
New South Wales
#17 · 2025
In New South Wales, 237 girls named Isabella were registered in 2025, ranked 17th in that year’s top 100 for girls.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
Spain
#64 · 2024
In Spain, 9,285 residents are named Isabella, the 295th most common name among women, with a mean age of 13.1 years.
In Spain, Isabella was the 64th most common name among girls born in 2024.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Brazil
1 in 1,600
At the 2022 census, 125,939 people in Brazil were named Isabella, the 258th most common name, with a median age of 11.
Among people named Isabella living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 19,727 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
France
1 in 9,900
In France, about 65 girls named Isabella were born in 2025, the 648th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Poland
1 in 19,000
In Poland, 13 girls named Isabella were born in 2025, the 321st most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
When you meet Isabella
Most people given the name Isabella in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Isabella travels
Mexican American · a modern classic beloved across Mexican-American families
Spanish · devoted to God
Italian American · a beloved modern classic
Italian · devoted to God (Italian form of Isabel)
Global crossover · God is my oath (Italianate form of Elizabeth); a US top-5 name for years and, as Isabela/Isabel, hugely popular across Italy, Spain and Latin America
Keep exploring
Names like Isabella · Names that go with Isabella · Nicknames for Isabella · Middle names for Isabella · Italian baby names · Global crossover names · Italian American baby names · Spanish baby names · Mexican American baby names · Climbers and fallers
The Isabella deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Isabella truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Isabella fits with your family’s names and surname.
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