Total births
132,150
Girls' name · since 1880
Isabel
132,150 babies named Isabel in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2006. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #167
- among girls today
- 132,150
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.1%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Isabel is the #167 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 132,150 recorded since 1880.
Isabel has 132,150 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #167 as of the latest data, more common than 99.1% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #167 among girls today
- 132,150 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 99.1% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Isabel is currently the #167 girls' name in America, more common than 99.1% of girls - 132,150 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #167
- among girls today
- 132,150
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.1%
- more common than other girls
Isabel vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#167
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.1% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Isabel was born in this single decade.
2006
Single peak year
4,009 babies were named Isabel in 2006 - its busiest year on record.
How Isabel compares
132,150 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Isabel's all-time total is 346x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Isabel | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 132,150 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,009 | 48 | 19,840 |
Isabel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Isabel splits its recorded history at 1953: 77% of all births land in the more recent half, 23% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1882 (72 births) -- compare that against the 2006 peak of 4,009 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Isabel at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2006
Current rank
#167
Active since
1880
Isabel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2006)
- 4,009
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Isabel popularity over time - boys
1,827 total births recorded since 1904 (Isabel as boys' name)
Isabel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Isabel's strongest decade.
36,042 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Isabel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,053
1880s
1,053 births
- 1890s 2,047
1890s
2,047 births
- 1900s 2,926
1900s
2,926 births
- 1910s 7,668
1910s
7,668 births
- 1920s 8,315
1920s
8,315 births
- 1930s 4,442
1930s
4,442 births
- 1940s 3,435
1940s
3,435 births
- 1950s 4,041
1950s
4,041 births
- 1960s 3,718
1960s
3,718 births
- 1970s 3,940
1970s
3,940 births
- 1980s 4,962
1980s
4,962 births
- 1990s
1990s
16,104 births
- 2000s
2000s
36,042 births
- 2010s
2010s
22,586 births
- 2020s 10,871
2020s
10,871 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 36,042 births (27% of all-time use).
How Isabel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Isabel's total volume
Isabel vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Isabel by state
Where Isabel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 24,875 | 18.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 17,756 | 13.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 10,000 | 7.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 5,856 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Florida | | 5,070 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 4,963 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Arizona | | 3,560 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 3,552 | 2.7% |
California share of Isabel's total US births 18.8%
Even split
24,875 of 132,150 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Isabel appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Isabel? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 132,150 babies named Isabel. Today it holds rank #167 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2006, with 4,009 births.
When was Isabel most popular? ▼
Isabel was most popular in the 2000s decade with 36,042 total births. The single peak year was 2006.
Where is Isabel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Isabel are California (24,875 births), Texas (17,756 births), New York (10,000 births).
How long has the name Isabel been used? ▼
Isabel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Isabel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Isabella, Isabelle, Isabell, Isabela, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Isabel's data
- Isabel's decade-level peak was the 2000s (36,042 total births); usage has since declined to 10,871 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Isabels (24,875 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Isabel
Nearby Names Like Isabel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Isabel
Isabella Girl
#7 417,001 births
Isabelle Girl
#172 107,762 births
Isabell Girl
#2282 15,274 births
Isabela Girl
#644 12,698 births
Isadora Girl
#1223 4,668 births
Compare Isabel side by side: Isabel vs Isabella Isabel vs Isabelle Isabel vs Isabell
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Isabel
Anastasia #166
57,140 births · Peak 2018
Peyton #168
88,219 births · Peak 2009
Genevieve #165
125,131 births · Peak 1918
Amaya #169
43,525 births · Peak 2018
Everleigh #164
20,924 births · Peak 2020
Olive #170
66,926 births · Peak 2022
Adalynn #163
34,210 births · Peak 2018
Ruth #171
836,122 births · Peak 1920
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Isabel: #167 Girls' Name - 132,150 Births, Peak 2006." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/isabel. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Isabel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.