Isabella - Origin and Meaning of the name

The girl name Isabella [ 4 syll. i-sa-bel-la, is-abe-lla ] is pronounced as IHZahBEHLah ^KEY. Isabella is used predominantly in German, Italian, and Spanish, and it is derived from Hebrew origins. Isabella's meaning is God is perfection; or: God is my oath. Biblical name derived from the elements 'el' which means God, powerful ; 'sheba' which means oath, seven. The name was used as the medieval Spanish form of Elizabeth. It was first adopted by English speakers in the 12th century and saw a revival in the late 19th century. The name was borne by various members of royalty and queen consorts, including the wife of King John, Isabella of Angoulême (1187-1246). The name was also borne by the Spanish Queen Isabella I (1451-1504), who funded Christopher Columbus' expeditions.

Isabeau (French), Isabel (Portuguese and Spanish), Isabela (Portuguese and Spanish), Isabell (German), Isabelle (French), Isobel (English and Scottish), Izabela (Hungarian and Polish), and Izabella (Hungarian and Polish) are variations of Isabella. The short forms Bel (English), Bella (English, German, and Italian), Belle (English and French), Isa (Dutch, English, and German), and Iza (Dutch) are other variants of the name. See also the related form, Elizabeth (English).

Isabella is a very popular baby name for girls, and it is also regarded as trendy. The name's popularity has been rising since the 1980s. At the recent peak of its usage in 2007, 0.906% of baby girls were named Isabella. It ranked at #2 then. Out of all girl names in its group, Isabella was the most popular in 2007. 47% more girls were named Isabella than the next most popular name, Elizabeth (English), in that year.

Baby names that sound like Isabella include Isabela (Portuguese and Spanish), Izabela (Hungarian and Polish), Izabella (Hungarian and Polish), Isabel (Portuguese and Spanish), Isabell (German), and Isabelle (French).

^KEY: English pronunciation for Isabella: 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)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)"

Details of famous persons named Isabella:
Activist Isabella Baumfree, born Isabella Baumfree, 1797 - 26 November 1883, Hurley, New York.
Royalty Isabella of Castille, born 1451 - 1504, Madrigal de las Altas Torras, Spain.

Popularity Trend
for Isabella
from 1900 to 2007

Variant Popularity Chart
for Isabella
in 2007