Isaura
An ancient feminine name derived from the Greek ισαυρα (isaura), meaning "dawn light".
Name Census estimates that about 1,334 living Americans carry the first name Isaura. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Isaura today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Isaura births was 2007 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Isaura. 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.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 256,937 Americans
Peak year
2007
63 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,350
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Isaura: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Isaura from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 331 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isaura 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 Isaura during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Isauras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Isaura, while Massachusetts, Florida, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 142 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Isaura
The given name Isaura has its origins in ancient Greece, stemming from the Greek word "isauros," which means "lizard" or "small lizard." The name gained popularity in the Byzantine Empire during the 6th century CE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Isaura can be found in the writings of Byzantine scholar and historian Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500–565 CE). He mentioned an influential Byzantine noblewoman named Isaura who lived during the reign of Emperor Justinian I.
In the 9th century, a nun named Isaura was canonized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church for her pious life and charitable works. She is revered in various regions of Greece and celebrated on May 8th each year.
During the Middle Ages, the name Isaura was relatively uncommon but gained some prominence in the Kingdom of Aragon, which encompassed parts of modern-day Spain and France. One notable figure was Isaura de Navarra (c. 1240–1279), a Spanish noblewoman and the consort of King Theobald II of Navarre.
In the Renaissance era, the name Isaura was embraced by Italian humanists and artists. One of the most famous bearers was Isaura Coronata (c. 1470–1546), an Italian poet and member of the renowned Accademia degli Incogniti in Venice.
Another notable figure was Isaura de Granada (c. 1510–1580), a Spanish mystic and religious writer who is venerated as a Blessed by the Catholic Church.
As the name spread across Europe, it gained variations in spelling and pronunciation, such as Isaure, Isaurie, and Isaurinda. In the 19th century, French author and poet Frédéric Mistral (1830–1914) popularized the name through his literary works, including the epic poem "Mirèio" and the foundation of the Félibrige literary movement.
People
Isaura + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Isaura 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
Isaura: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Isaura?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,334 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Isaura 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 256,937 US residents.
Is Isaura a common name?
We classify Isaura as "Rare". It ranks above 91.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,506 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Isaura most popular?
The single biggest year for Isaura was 2007, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Isaura is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Isaura a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Isaura 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.
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.