Isabel
Isabel was given to 1,746 girls in 2025, #177 among girls’ names; 133,977 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 104,000 Americans named Isabel and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (77% of everyone recorded); the median is 22 years old and half are between 14 and 30.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Isabel by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Isabel mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Isabel is “a female given name from Hebrew.” Its etymology gives the sense “my God is an oath” (אֱלִישֶׁבַע).
From Spanish Isabel, from Old Occitan Elisabel, from Latin Elisabeth, from Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), from Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elishéva, “my God is an oath”). Doublet of Elizabeth.
/ˈɪzəbɛl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Isabel?
#177 among girls’ names, 2025
Isabel fell from #149 in 2015 to #177 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 1.2 to 1.1 per 1,000.
4,019 babies in 2006, the peak
Isabel peaked in 2006, when 4,019 babies were given it (4,009 girls, #87 among girls’ names). The 1,746 births of 2025 are 43% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,746 | #177 | 1.1 |
| 2024 | 1,826 | #167 | 1.1 |
| 2023 | 1,753 | #164 | 1.1 |
| 2022 | 1,858 | #156 | 1.1 |
| 2021 | 1,917 | #146 | 1.2 |
| 2020 | 1,771 | #157 | 1.1 |
| 2019 | 2,059 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 2018 | 2,068 | #139 | 1.2 |
| 2017 | 2,036 | #145 | 1.2 |
| 2016 | 2,120 | #145 | 1.2 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,177 | #149 | 1.2 |
| 2014 | 2,331 | #144 | 1.3 |
| 2013 | 2,341 | #136 | 1.3 |
| 2012 | 2,383 | #135 | 1.4 |
| 2011 | 2,413 | #128 | 1.4 |
| 2010 | 2,658 | #116 | 1.5 |
| 2009 | 2,988 | #109 | 1.6 |
| 2008 | 3,489 | #97 | 1.8 |
| 2007 | 3,864 | #87 | 2.0 |
| 2006 | 4,009 | #87 | 2.1 |
| 2005 | 3,611 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 2004 | 3,638 | #88 | 2.0 |
| 2003 | 3,853 | #83 | 2.1 |
| 2002 | 3,651 | #85 | 2.0 |
| 2001 | 3,491 | #88 | 1.9 |
| 2000 | 3,448 | #94 | 1.9 |
| 1999 | 3,405 | #97 | 1.9 |
| 1998 | 2,827 | #118 | 1.6 |
| 1997 | 2,259 | #141 | 1.3 |
| 1996 | 1,470 | #197 | 0.84 |
| 1995 | 1,297 | #217 | 0.74 |
| 1994 | 1,131 | #244 | 0.63 |
| 1993 | 1,076 | #257 | 0.59 |
| 1992 | 1,053 | #267 | 0.57 |
| 1991 | 801 | #330 | 0.43 |
| 1990 | 785 | #339 | 0.41 |
| 1989 | 613 | #404 | 0.33 |
| 1988 | 558 | #419 | 0.31 |
| 1987 | 494 | #445 | 0.28 |
| 1986 | 484 | #447 | 0.28 |
| 1985 | 515 | #428 | 0.30 |
| 1984 | 419 | #483 | 0.25 |
| 1983 | 430 | #469 | 0.26 |
| 1982 | 487 | #442 | 0.29 |
| 1981 | 466 | #459 | 0.28 |
| 1980 | 496 | #435 | 0.30 |
| 1979 | 424 | #481 | 0.26 |
| 1978 | 365 | #511 | 0.24 |
| 1977 | 392 | #486 | 0.26 |
| 1976 | 411 | #464 | 0.28 |
| 1975 | 408 | #462 | 0.28 |
| 1974 | 381 | #473 | 0.26 |
| 1973 | 352 | #494 | 0.24 |
| 1972 | 356 | #498 | 0.23 |
| 1971 | 436 | #464 | 0.26 |
| 1970 | 415 | #483 | 0.24 |
| 1969 | 384 | #496 | 0.23 |
| 1968 | 381 | #497 | 0.23 |
| 1967 | 352 | #505 | 0.21 |
| 1966 | 354 | #497 | 0.21 |
| 1965 | 327 | #527 | 0.19 |
| 1964 | 390 | #493 | 0.21 |
| 1963 | 380 | #499 | 0.20 |
| 1962 | 393 | #490 | 0.20 |
| 1961 | 366 | #511 | 0.18 |
| 1960 | 391 | #492 | 0.19 |
| 1959 | 390 | #492 | 0.19 |
| 1958 | 359 | #507 | 0.18 |
| 1957 | 440 | #449 | 0.22 |
| 1956 | 405 | #455 | 0.20 |
| 1955 | 450 | #416 | 0.23 |
| 1954 | 368 | #460 | 0.19 |
| 1953 | 480 | #389 | 0.26 |
| 1952 | 419 | #410 | 0.23 |
| 1951 | 368 | #437 | 0.20 |
| 1950 | 362 | #420 | 0.21 |
| 1949 | 394 | #401 | 0.23 |
| 1948 | 374 | #409 | 0.22 |
| 1947 | 378 | #415 | 0.21 |
| 1946 | 353 | #410 | 0.22 |
| 1945 | 275 | #430 | 0.21 |
| 1944 | 309 | #408 | 0.23 |
| 1943 | 356 | #387 | 0.26 |
| 1942 | 333 | #391 | 0.25 |
| 1941 | 335 | #367 | 0.28 |
| 1940 | 328 | #360 | 0.29 |
| 1939 | 340 | #345 | 0.31 |
| 1938 | 350 | #343 | 0.32 |
| 1937 | 399 | #310 | 0.37 |
| 1936 | 376 | #312 | 0.36 |
| 1935 | 425 | #292 | 0.41 |
| 1934 | 430 | #300 | 0.41 |
| 1933 | 450 | #284 | 0.45 |
| 1932 | 516 | #272 | 0.48 |
| 1931 | 561 | #258 | 0.53 |
| 1930 | 595 | #257 | 0.53 |
| 1929 | 672 | #235 | 0.60 |
| 1928 | 651 | #248 | 0.56 |
| 1927 | 731 | #239 | 0.61 |
| 1926 | 744 | #238 | 0.63 |
| 1925 | 900 | #212 | 0.74 |
| 1924 | 911 | #215 | 0.73 |
| 1923 | 855 | #221 | 0.71 |
| 1922 | 888 | #218 | 0.74 |
| 1921 | 971 | #207 | 0.79 |
| 1920 | 992 | #199 | 0.83 |
| 1919 | 957 | #196 | 0.85 |
| 1918 | 1,041 | #190 | 0.90 |
| 1917 | 931 | #198 | 0.86 |
| 1916 | 1,000 | #183 | 1.0 |
| 1915 | 943 | #177 | 1.0 |
| 1914 | 747 | #179 | 1.0 |
| 1913 | 657 | #177 | 1.1 |
| 1912 | 556 | #175 | 1.0 |
| 1911 | 447 | #168 | 1.1 |
| 1910 | 389 | #176 | 1.0 |
| 1909 | 356 | #169 | 1.0 |
| 1908 | 351 | #169 | 1.0 |
| 1907 | 326 | #170 | 1.0 |
| 1906 | 317 | #169 | 1.1 |
| 1905 | 292 | #176 | 1.0 |
| 1904 | 271 | #180 | 1.0 |
| 1903 | 257 | #180 | 1.0 |
| 1902 | 256 | #179 | 1.0 |
| 1901 | 214 | #195 | 0.89 |
| 1900 | 286 | #185 | 1.0 |
| 1899 | 243 | #177 | 1.0 |
| 1898 | 252 | #184 | 1.0 |
| 1897 | 210 | #188 | 0.90 |
| 1896 | 232 | #179 | 1.0 |
| 1895 | 212 | #184 | 0.91 |
| 1894 | 241 | #168 | 1.1 |
| 1893 | 189 | #186 | 0.89 |
| 1892 | 158 | #200 | 0.74 |
| 1891 | 150 | #189 | 0.81 |
| 1890 | 160 | #186 | 0.84 |
| 1889 | 153 | #186 | 0.86 |
| 1888 | 144 | #187 | 0.81 |
| 1887 | 109 | #192 | 0.75 |
| 1886 | 131 | #177 | 0.91 |
| 1885 | 102 | #185 | 0.77 |
| 1884 | 102 | #176 | 0.79 |
| 1883 | 83 | #182 | 0.74 |
| 1882 | 72 | #194 | 0.67 |
| 1881 | 76 | #174 | 0.83 |
| 1880 | 81 | #161 | 0.89 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Isabel a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 133,977 Americans recorded as Isabel, 99% are girls and 1% boys. In 2025 it went to 1,746 girls; SSA lists no boys with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Isabel: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Isabel, and how old are they?
104,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 77% of the 133,977 Americans ever recorded as Isabel. The median Isabel alive today is 22 years old; half are between 14 and 30.
The 2020 Census counted 129,711 people named Isabel (127,675 women and girls, 2,036 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 96,007 born in the U.S. The Census count is 35% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,030 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 6,010 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 5,990 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 12,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 51,500 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 25,900 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Isabel born?
The states with the most babies named Isabel are California, Texas and New York, with 35% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 273 | #108 | 1.8× |
| Texas | 218 | #147 | 1.7× |
| New York | 113 | #144 | 1.1× |
| Florida | 101 | #171 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 63 | #159 | 1.0× |
| Arizona | 58 | #107 | 1.6× |
| Washington | 55 | #118 | 0.9× |
| Massachusetts | 52 | #103 | 1.1× |
| North Carolina | 51 | #213 | 0.5× |
| New Jersey | 47 | #175 | 0.9× |
Where Isabel is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Isabel is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 2.7 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Isabel with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 153,058 babies since 1880, Isabel is the most given (88% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,746 of their 1,912 babies (91%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Isabel
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Isabel and names like it
- Compare Isabel and IsabellBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sIsabel peaked in 2006.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Isabel since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Isabel: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2006The year the most babies were named Isabel.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Isabel alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with IMost given first.