Isabel

Isabel is a feminine given name of Spanish origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of Elisabeth (ultimately Hebrew Elisheba), Arising in the 12th century, it became popular in England in the 13th century following the marriage of Isabella of Angoulême to the king of England.

"Isabelle" redirects here. For other uses, see Isabelle (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Isabel (disambiguation).
Isabelle
Pronunciation/ˈɪzəbɛl/[1]
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameSpanish, ultimately from Hebrew
Region of originEurope
Other names
Related namesElisheba (Hebrew), Elisabel (Medieval Latin), Isabell and Isabel (Spanish), Isabel (Portuguese), Isabella (Italian), Isabelle (French, Dutch, German), Izabela, Isobel, Ishbel (Scots), Iseabail (Scottish Gaelic), Ysabeau, Elizabeth (English).

Etymology

This set of names is a Spanish variant of the Hebrew name Elisheba through Latin and Greek represented in English and other western languages as Elisabeth.[2][3] 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).[4] 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).[5] Elisabeth was understood in Spain as a name with the masculine definite article el "the", that is to say *El Isabeth, from it, the short form *Isabeth where the final -el was substituted to -eth, both for esthetical reasons or feminization,[2] or the entire syllable -bel was substituted to -beth, by analogy with bella "pretty, beautiful".

Both forms of the name exist concurrently in various languages. 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.[6]

Notable individuals

Individuals named Isabelle

Fictional characters

See also
  • Isabel (disambiguation)
  • Isa (name)
  • All pages with titles beginning with Isabel
  • All pages with titles beginning with Isabella
  • All pages with titles beginning with Isabelle

References
  1. churchofjesuschrist.org: "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide" (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «ĭz´a-bĕl»
  2. Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet, p. 337a.
  3. Chantal Tanet et Tristan Hordé, Dictionnaire des prénoms, Larousse, Paris, 2009, p. 38ISBN 978-2-03-583728-8
  4. Guido Gómez de Silva, Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1985.
  5. Hanks, Patrick und Flavia Hodges. Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press, 1996, p.166.
  6. "Australia's 100 most popular baby names". Kidspot. April 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
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