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[ 3 syll. i-sa-bel, is-ab-el ] The girl name Isabel is pronounced IHZahBEHL †. Isabel has its origins in the Hebrew language. It is used largely in the Portuguese, Provençal, Spanish, English, French, and German languages. Biblical name: The name was used as the medieval Spanish form of Elizabeth; the latter being taken by the Spanish to comprise of 'El-' meaning 'the' and the French name Ilsabeth, which became the French Ilsabeau, and finally Isabel with the usual Spanish ending for a feminine name. Various forms of Isabel were borne by members of royalty and queen consorts, including the wife of King John of England, Isabella of Angoulême (1187-1246), and the wife of King Edward II of England, Isabella of France (1295-1358), both of whom brought the name from France and introduced it to England after marrying English kings. English speakers adopted the name without replacing the use of the popular Elizabeth, and it became highly popular in the 13th and 14th centuries. The name was also borne by the powerful Spanish Queen Isabella of Castille (1451-1504), who funded Christopher Columbus' expeditions. In literature, it is the name of the heroine in William Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure (1604) and the central young woman in John Keats' poem 'Isabella, or the Pot of Basil' (1818). The name later saw a revival in the late 19th century. Isabel is a form of Elizabeth (English) in the Portuguese, Provençal, and Spanish languages. Isabel is also a form of Isabella (Spanish, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Romanian, and Scandinavian). Isabel is also a form of Isabelle (English, French, and German).
The name Isabel is used to a great extent; it has 52 forms that are used in both English and foreign languages. Forms of the name used in English include Bela (used in Czech and Russian as well), Elisa (used in Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish as well), Isabella (used in Spanish, Dutch, German, Italian, Romanian, and Scandinavian as well), Isabelle (used in French and German as well), Isobel (used in Scottish as well), Isobell, Issi, Issy, Izabelle, and Ysabeau. Other English variants include the short forms Bel, Belle (used in French as well), Isa (used in Spanish, Dutch, German, and Italian as well), and Isbel, and the pet forms Belicia (used in Spanish and as well), Belita (used in Spanish and as well), Bella (used in Spanish, German, Hungarian, Italian, Russian, and Scottish as well), Bellita, Ella (used in Italian as well), Ellis, Ib, Ibbie, Isabelita (used in Spanish and as well), Issie, Izzie, Izzy, and Sabella. Foreign forms include Beileag (Scottish), Belica (Spanish), Chabela (Spanish), Chabi (Spanish), Chava (Yiddish, Hebrew, and Spanish), Isabeau (French), Isabela (Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish), Iseabail (Scottish), Iseabal (Scottish), Ishbel (Scottish), Isibéal (Irish), Izabel (Portuguese, Spanish, Hungarian, and Polish), Izabela (Spanish, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and Russian), Izabele (Russian), Izabella (Spanish, Hungarian, and Polish), Liseta (Spanish), Sabela (Spanish and Galician), Sibéal (Irish), and Zabel (Armenian). Specific foreign forms include the short form Iza (Spanish, Dutch, and Polish), the pet forms Belia (Spanish), Chabeli (Spanish), and Chabelita (Spanish), and the variant spellings Isabell (German) and Ysabel (Spanish). See also the related forms, Ana Isabel (Spanish), Marisabel (Spanish), María Isabel (Spanish), and Maribel (Spanish). Isabel is popular as a baby girl name. The name's popularity has been rising since the 1950s. At the peak of its usage in 2003, 0.192% of baby girls were given the name Isabel. It had a ranking of #83 then. In 2008, it ranked at #96 with a usage of 0.168%. Out of the family of girl names directly linked to Isabel, Isabella was the most popular. It was more frequently used than Isabel by 5 times in 2008. Baby names that sound like Isabel include Isabele, Isabelle (English, French, and German), Izabele (Russian), Izabell, Isabal, Isabell (German), Issabella (English), Izabel (Portuguese, Spanish, Hungarian, and Polish), Izabelle (English), Ysabel (Spanish), Yzabel (Spanish), Yzabelle (English), Isabela (Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish), Isabeli, Isabella (Spanish, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Romanian, and Scandinavian), Isbel (English), Ishbel (Scottish), Isibeal, Isibéal (Irish), and Izabela (Spanish, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and Russian).
† Pronunciation for Isabel: IH as in "it (IH.T)" ; Z as in "zee (Z.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; B as in "be (B.IY)" ; EH as in "Ed (EH.D)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)"   |
