2000
#23,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,020
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Isabelle
A Spanish surname derived from the Hebrew name "Elizabeth", meaning "pledged to God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,165 Americans carry the last name Isabelle. That puts it at #25,489 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 294,210 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Isabelle surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 294,210
Census rank
#25,489
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,016 bearers of the surname Isabelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25489th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Isabelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Isabelle
The surname Isabelle originated in France, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Isabelle, located in the Eure department of Normandy, France. The place name itself is believed to have come from the Old French phrase "bel isle," meaning "beautiful island" or "fair island."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Isabelle can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Hugo de Isabelle, indicating that the name had already spread from its Norman origins to other parts of Europe.
During the 13th century, the surname Isabelle appeared in various records across France, including the Trésor des Chartes and the Livre des Bourgeois de Paris. These documents shed light on individuals bearing the name, such as Jehan Isabelle, a merchant from Paris mentioned in 1292.
In England, the surname Isabelle can be traced back to the early 14th century. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Walter Isabelle, a knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born around 1310 and died in the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.
Another prominent figure with the surname Isabelle was Jacques Isabelle, a French writer and philosopher who lived from 1542 to 1622. He was known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy, including "De la Vertu et de la Volupté" (On Virtue and Pleasure).
In the 17th century, the Isabelle surname gained prominence in Italy, particularly in the region of Piedmont. One notable Italian bearer of the name was Giovanni Battista Isabelle, a renowned architect and sculptor who lived from 1620 to 1689. He was responsible for designing several churches and palaces in Turin and other cities across Piedmont.
The Isabelle surname also found its way to the Americas during the colonial era. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World was Pierre Isabelle, a French settler who arrived in Quebec, Canada, in 1663. He went on to establish a family and contribute to the growth of the French-Canadian population in the region.
Throughout history, the surname Isabelle has been spelled in various ways, including Isabelle, Isobel, Ysabelle, and Ysabel, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions. Despite these variations, the surname has maintained its distinct French origins and continues to be a prominent surname in many parts of the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isabelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Isabelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Isabelle bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Isabelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 732
- Black or African American18.6% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 61
- Two or more races2.2% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Isabelle
Isabelle appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#22,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,154
+134 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 966 places
2020
#25,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,016
-138 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 3,155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,300 | 1,020 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,334 | 1,154 | 0.39 | +134 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 966 places |
| 2020 | #25,489 | 1,016 | 0.34 | -138 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 3,155 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Isabelle surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #22,334 | #25,489 | -14.1% |
| Count | 1,154 | 1,016 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.34 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Isabelle bearers went from 1,154 to 1,016 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 3,155 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,334 to #25,489.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Isabelle
FAQ
Isabelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Isabelle?
Name Census estimates that about 1,165 living Americans carry the surname Isabelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 294,210 residents.
How common is Isabelle?
Isabelle ranks #25,489 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,016 people with the surname Isabelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Isabelle.
Has Isabelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Isabelle went from 1,154 recorded bearers to 1,016. That is a decrease of 138 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,334 to #25,489.
What does the Census say about the background of Isabelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Isabelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (6.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Isabelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (732 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Isabelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (18.6%), Hispanic (6.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Isabelle (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Isabelle mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Hebrew name "Elizabeth", meaning "pledged to God". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Isabelle (0.34 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Isabelle?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Isabelle, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.