Isabel

Isabel (/ˈɪz.ə.bɛl/^[1]) is a Romance-language given name. It is related to Isabelle (French, Dutch, German, Catalan, Provençal), Isabella (Italian), and the English Elizabeth.

Etymology

This set of names is a southwestern European variant of the Hebrew name Elisheva, also represented in English and other western languages as Elizabeth. It first appeared in medieval Provençal as Elisabel. Guido Gómez de Silva states that these names are derived from the Latin and Greek renderings of the Hebrew name based on both etymological and contextual evidence (the use of Isabel as a translation of the name of the mother of John the Baptist).^[2]

The variant form originated through the loss of the first syllable and the replacement of final /t/ with /l/ (as /t/ does not appear word-finally in standard Spanish).^[3] Both forms of the name exist concurrently in Italian (Isabella and Elisabetta) and French (Isabelle and Élisabeth). Both names have been borrowed into multiple other languages, giving rise to various local forms.

Popularity

In 2013, Isabella was the tenth most popular name for girls in Australia.^[4]

Royalty

Queens

Other royalty

• Isabella d'Anjou (c. 1101/1107–1154), Abbess of Fontevrault, wife of William Adelin
• Isabella of England (1214 – December 1, 1241), daughter of King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême, wife of Frederick II Hohenstaufen "Stupor Mundi", Holy Roman Emperor
• Isabella of Antioch (13th century), regent of Jerusalem
• Isabella of Mar (c. 1277–1296), first wife of Robert I of Scotland
• Princess Isabella of Armenia (died c. 1321)
• Princess Isabella of Portugal (1397–1471), wife and political advisor of Philip III, Duke of Burgundy
• Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine (1400–1453)
• Isabella of Bourbon (1436–1465), wife of Charles, Duke of Burgundy
• Marchioness Isabella d'Este (1474–1539), wife of Francesco II of Gonzaga
• Isabella of Portugal (1503–1539), also known as Isabel of Aviz, consort of emperor Charles V
• Isabella Jagiellon (1519–1559), wife of John Szapolyai
• Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (1566–1633), wife of Archduke Albert of Austria
• Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1846–1921), Princess Imperial of Brazil, daughter of Pedro II of Brazil, abolished slavery in Brazil
• Isabelle, Comtesse de Paris (1911–2003)
• Princess Isabella of Denmark (born 2007)
• Isabel of Portugal (disambiguation)

Saints

• Saint Isabelle of France (1225–1270)
• Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231)
• Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336)

Other famous people

• Isabel Allende, Chilean author and niece of Salvador Allende
• Isabel Bayrakdarian, Canadian-Armenian lyric soprano
• Isabella Clark, wife of Prime Minister of Canada Sir John A. Macdonald
• Isabel Godin des Odonais, traveler in the Amazon Basin
• Isabel Martínez de Perón, President of Argentina (1974–1976) and third wife of Juan Perón
• Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair, author
• Isabel Sanford, American actress
• Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model
• Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan, supporter of Robert the Bruce

Ships

• Isabella, a ship sunk in the Falkland Islands in 1813

Places

• Isabel Island, one of the Visayan Islands
• Mount Ishbel, Alberta, Canada
• Ishbel Group, Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
• Sanibel Island, Florida, United States (derived from Spanish San Ybel<<Spanish Santa Isybella, variant of English "Saint Isabel")

Hurricanes

• Hurricane Isabel

See also

• Isabel (disambiguation)
• All pages beginning with "Isabel"
• All pages beginning with "Isabella"
• All pages beginning with "Isabelle"

Bibliography