Isobelle
A feminine variation of Elizabeth, meaning "God is my oath" or "consecrated to God".
Name Census estimates that about 88 living Americans carry the first name Isobelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Isobelle today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Isobelle births was 2008 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Isobelle. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Isobelle. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
88
~ 1 in 3,894,936 Americans
Peak year
2008
8 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2021 SSA rank
#14,167
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Isobelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Isobelle from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 43 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isobelle 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 Isobelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Isobelle
The name Isobelle originated from the French and Scottish cultures, deriving from the medieval French name Isabelle, which traces its roots back to the Hebrew name Elisheva. This Hebrew name Elisheva is made up of two components: 'El' meaning 'God' and 'shava' meaning 'oath' or 'covenant,' thus signifying 'God is my oath.'
The name Isobelle gained widespread popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in France and Scotland. One of the earliest recorded uses of the name can be found in the 12th century, when Isabelle of Hainault, Queen consort of France, bore this name. She lived from around 1170 to 1190 and was married to King Philip II of France.
Another notable figure in history with the name Isobelle was Isabelle of Angoulême, who lived from around 1188 to 1246. She was the Queen consort of England as the wife of King John, and played a significant role in the political landscape of her time.
In the 14th century, Isabelle of Valois, Duchess of Bourbon, was a prominent figure who lived from around 1313 to 1383. She was the daughter of Charles of Valois and was known for her influential role in the French court.
Moving forward to the 16th century, Isobelle Becque, born in 1544, was a French botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their cultivation.
In more recent history, Isobelle Griffiths, born in 1905 and died in 1999, was a British actress and singer who enjoyed a successful career in both theater and film. She is remembered for her performances in various Shakespearean plays and musicals.
While the name Isobelle has undergone various spellings over the centuries, such as Isabelle, Isabel, and Isobel, its essence and meaning have remained rooted in the idea of 'God is my oath,' reflecting its rich cultural and linguistic heritage.
People
Isobelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Isobelle 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
Isobelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Isobelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 88 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Isobelle 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 3,894,936 US residents.
Is Isobelle a common name?
We classify Isobelle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 99 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Isobelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Isobelle was 2008, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Isobelle is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Isobelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Isobelle 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.