Isabella
Feminine name of Hispanic origin meaning "pledged to God".
Our analysis of Social Security Administration records puts the number of living Americans named Isabella at approximately 394,076. That places it at #7 in the national ranking of first names. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Isabella today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Isabella births was 2010 (22,965 babies). In terms of living bearers, it sits close to Terry (392,854).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Isabella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Isabella with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Isabella is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 452 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Isabella is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
394K
~ 1 in 870 Americans
Peak year
2010
22,965 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7
Tracked since 1880
Census
Isabella in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 309,076 people with the first name Isabella, which placed it at #164 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#164
National first-name rank
People counted
309K
309,076 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
102.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isabella
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Isabella is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (41.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Isabella described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Isabella at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.8% · 144,694
- Hispanic or Latino41.9% · 129,476
- Two or more races5.4% · 16,744
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 8,906
- Black or African American2.5% · 7,789
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1,467
Gender
Gender distribution for Isabella
Out of the 406,648 babies given the name Isabella since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Isabella as a male name
- Ranked #10,259 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2004 (49 births)
Isabella as a female name
- Ranked #7 in 2024
- 10,770 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2010 (22,935 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Isabella appears almost entirely female. Of the 309,067 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Isabella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Isabella from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 170,749 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Isabella remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isabella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Isabella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Isabellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Isabella, while Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7,853 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Isabella
The name Isabella has its origins in the Medieval Latin name "Isabella", which was derived from the older Spanish name "Isabel". The name Isabel itself traces back to the Hebrew name "Elisheba", meaning "God is my oath".
The name Isabella gained widespread popularity in the 13th century after the birth of Princess Isabella of France in 1295. She was the daughter of King Philip IV of France and is considered one of the earliest recorded bearers of the name.
In the 14th century, Isabella of France became Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II. Her name further increased in usage across Europe during this period.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Isabella was Isabella I of Castile, who ruled as Queen of Castile and Aragon from 1474 to 1504. She was an influential monarch who played a crucial role in the Spanish unification and the financing of Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas.
In the 16th century, Isabella Andreini (1562-1604) was an Italian actress, poet, and playwright who gained fame for her performances in commedia dell'arte plays. Her works were widely acclaimed and helped to establish the professional status of actresses in Italy.
Another notable Isabella was Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633), who served as the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1598 to 1633. She was a skilled ruler and patron of the arts, and her court in Brussels attracted many artists and intellectuals.
In the 17th century, Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704) was an Italian composer and nun who wrote sacred music and is considered one of the most prolific and innovative composers of her time.
Isabella Rossellini (born 1952) is a modern-day Italian actress, filmmaker, and former model. She is known for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and her work as a model for Lancôme cosmetics.
The name Isabella has a rich history that spans numerous cultures and centuries, with many notable figures bearing this name throughout the ages.
People
Isabella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Isabella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Isabella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Isabella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 394,076 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Isabella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 870 US residents.
Is Isabella a common name?
We classify Isabella as "Common". It ranks above 99.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 406,648 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Isabella most popular?
The single biggest year for Isabella was 2010, when 22,965 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Isabella is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Isabella in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 309,076 people with the name Isabella, or 102.33 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #164 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Isabella in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Isabella?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Isabella appears almost entirely female. Of the 309,067 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Isabella?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Isabella is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (41.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Isabella most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Isabella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (144,694 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Isabella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Isabella a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Isabella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Isabella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Isabella in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Isabella can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Isabella?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Isabella, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.