US rank #167 Girls' name Peak 2006 130,387 births

Isabel — #167 US girls' name

130,387 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.

1880s10531890s20471900s29261910s76681920s83151930s44421940s34351950s40411960s37161970s39411980s49621990s161042000s360382010s225842020s9115
#167
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 99.1% of names given to girls today.

2000s
Peak decade

28% 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.

What the Data Says About Isabel

The Social Security Administration has registered 130,387 babies named Isabel between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Isabel currently holds the #167 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2006, when 4,009 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Isabel performed strongest in the 2000s, accumulating 36,038 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Isabel shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 24,598 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Isabel in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Isabel in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 130,387 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Isabel at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

130,387

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2006

4,009 births that year

Strongest decade: 2000s

Current rank

#167

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Isabel popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (2006)
4,009
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,0004,0005,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 81

Isabel popularity over time — boys

1,827 total births recorded since 1904 (Isabel as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 1,827 births
01020304050 202220001986197219581944193019161904 6

Isabel by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2000s
Peak decade
2000s
36,038 births that decade — 28% of Isabel's all-time total
1880s10531890s20471900s29261910s76681920s83151930s44421940s34351950s40411960s37161970s39411980s49621990s161042000s360382010s225842020s9115

Isabel by state

Where Isabel concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Isabel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
24,598 18.9%
#2 Texas
17,537 13.4%
#3 New York
9,886 7.6%
#4 Illinois
5,793 4.4%
#5 Florida
4,969 3.8%
#6 Pennsylvania
4,921 3.8%
#7 Arizona
3,502 2.7%
#8 Massachusetts
3,500 2.7%
California share of Isabel's total US births 18.9%
Even split

24,598 of 130,387 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?
130,387 babies have been named Isabel since 1880. It currently ranks #167 among girls. The peak year was 2006 with 4,009 births.
When was Isabel most popular?
Isabel was most popular in the 2000s decade with 36,038 total births. The single peak year was 2006.
Where is Isabel most popular?
The top states for the name Isabel are California (24,598 births), Texas (17,537 births), New York (9,886 births).
How long has the name Isabel been used?
Isabel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Isabel

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.