Girls' name · peaked in 2003
Isabel name popularity since 1925
115,392 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Isabel (98.7% girls, 1.3% boys). Half of them were born in 2003 or earlier, so the typical Isabel is about 23 years old in 2026. Isabel peaked in 2003 as the #83 name for girls, and it ranked #177 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 115,392
- Named Isabel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #177
- for girls in 2025 (1,746 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 98.7% girls
- 113,839 girls · 1,553 boys
- Most popular in
- New Mexico
- 2.96× its national share
Peak year is the year Isabel made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Isabel births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2006. Measured as a share of all babies, Isabel peaked in 2003.
- Fastest rise: Between 1994 and 1999, Isabel became 3× more common, from 1 in 1,580 baby girls to 1 in 521.
- Steepest fall: Between 2006 and 2011, its share of baby girls fell by 35%, from 1 in 474 to 1 in 729.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Isabel's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Isabel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Isabel in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 3,698 | 181 | – |
| 1930s | 4,442 | 262 | #292 |
| 1940s | 3,435 | 259 | #430 |
| 1950s | 4,041 | 174 | #417 |
| 1960s | 3,718 | 134 | #527 |
| 1970s | 3,940 | 145 | #462 |
| 1980s | 4,962 | 140 | #428 |
| 1990s | 16,104 | 142 | #217 |
| 2000s | 36,042 | 83 | #89 |
| 2010s | 22,586 | 28 | #149 |
| 2020–25 | 10,871 | 5 | #177 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
45.2% of babies named Isabel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Isabel is most popular
The index compares Isabel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Isabel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 2.96× | 1,842 |
| Arizona | 2.28× | 3,325 |
| Nevada | 2.09× | 838 |
| California | 2.03× | 24,207 |
| Texas | 1.97× | 17,444 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Isabel and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Isabel (this page) | 113,839 | 2003 |
| Isabell | 10,073 | 1903 |
| Izabel | 3,808 | 2007 |
| Isobel | 3,047 | 2016 |
| Ysabel | 1,274 | 1998 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Isabel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Isabel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Isabel (2003).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data