Fun Facts About the Name Isabela
- More than 12 thousand babies named Isabela: U.S. records list 12,695 babies given the name Isabela from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Isabela Mean?
Isabela is a Romance-language form of the name that appears in Hebrew as אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elisheva), generally understood to mean "God is my oath." Its elements are אֵל (el, "God") and a word for oath, and this same Hebrew name is the source of Elizabeth. Isabela is a spelling variant of Isabel and Isabella rather than a separate root. The ending -bela resembles Latin bella, "beautiful," and medieval and later writers sometimes read the name as "beautiful," but that is a customary association attached to the sound of the name, not its etymology.
Isabela Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name Elisheva appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Aaron. It entered Greek as Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the form used in the New Testament for the mother of John the Baptist, and from Greek into Latin as Elisabeth. Medieval European pronunciation produced a range of local forms, among them Isabel in Spain, Portugal, and France and Isabella in Italy and Provence.
The change from Elisabeth to Isabel is not fully explained. The usual view treats Isabel as a Romance reshaping of Elisabeth, while proposals of a separate medieval origin remain unproven. The fuller form Isabella, with its Latin-looking ending, was reinforced over time by the association with bella.
Isabel was borne by queens of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal; Isabella I of Castile (1451 - 1504) is the best known, and her name appears in Spanish sources as Isabel. The fuller form Isabella spread through Italy, France, and England, carried by royal marriages and used by writers, though its spread rested on wider naming fashion rather than any single source.
Isabela is an established form in Romanian and a variant spelling used alongside Isabel and Isabella in Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries. It keeps the Hebrew-derived meaning and the Romance shape of its parent names while adding the final -a.
How Popular is the Name Isabela?
Isabela recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2004. Its best rank was #442 in 2004.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #664 | 426 | 0.0265% |
| 2024 | #644 | 456 | 0.0283% |
| 2023 | #658 | 446 | 0.0278% |
| 2022 | #589 | 510 | 0.0311% |
| 2021 | #839 | 329 | 0.0201% |
| 2020 | #833 | 328 | 0.0203% |
| 2019 | #776 | 357 | 0.0213% |
| 2018 | #822 | 330 | 0.0194% |
| 2017 | #812 | 336 | 0.0195% |
| 2016 | #814 | 351 | 0.0198% |
| 2015 | #763 | 370 | 0.0207% |
| 2014 | #720 | 389 | 0.0218% |
| 2013 | #670 | 427 | 0.0243% |
| 2012 | #620 | 462 | 0.0262% |
| 2011 | #665 | 426 | 0.0242% |
| 2010 | #571 | 511 | 0.0288% |
| 2009 | #493 | 623 | 0.0339% |
| 2008 | #535 | 575 | 0.0304% |
| 2007 | #504 | 634 | 0.0330% |
| 2006 | #468 | 676 | 0.0356% |
| 2005 | #534 | 539 | 0.0292% |
| 2004 | #442 | 695 | 0.0379% |
| 2003 | #483 | 610 | 0.0334% |
| 2002 | #633 | 403 | 0.0224% |
| 2001 | #742 | 322 | 0.0179% |
| 2000 | #850 | 259 | 0.0143% |
| 1999 | #940 | 223 | 0.0126% |
| 1998 | #1,186 | 157 | 0.0089% |
| 1997 | #1,443 | 115 | 0.0066% |
| 1996 | #1,798 | 82 | 0.0047% |
| 1995 | #1,869 | 75 | 0.0043% |
| 1994 | #2,235 | 59 | 0.0033% |
| 1993 | #2,650 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 1992 | #3,711 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1991 | #3,756 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1990 | #3,387 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1989 | #4,734 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #10,852 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #8,270 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #9,748 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #8,483 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #8,349 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #9,641 | 6 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Isabela Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Isabela's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Isabela's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.