Isabel
![]() Isabella the Catholic of Castile (1451–1504) the first Spanish queen regnant and a key character in the Reconquista, the Spanish Inquisition, and Christopher Columbus' discovery of America | |
Gender | Female |
---|---|
Origin | |
Word/name | Hebrew via Greek and Latin. |
Meaning | "My God is an oath" "My God is abundance" (from the Hebrew "Elisheba") |
Other names | |
Related names | "Elisheba" & "Elisheva" (Hebrew), " Elisabel" (Medieval Latin), Isabell & "'Ysabel"' (Spanish), Izabel (Portuguese), Isabella (Italian), Isabelle (French, Dutch, German), Izabela, Isobel & "Ishbel" (Scots Gaelic), Ysabeau, Elizabeth (English) |
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
See also
- Isabel (disambiguation)
- A comprehensive list of article names that begin with Isabel
- A comprehensive list of article names that begin with Isabella
- A comprehensive list of article names that begin with Isabelle
Bibliography
- ^ LDS.org: "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide" (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «ĭz´a-bĕl»
- ^ Guido Gómez de Silva, Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1985.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick und Flavia Hodges. Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press, 1996, p.166.
- ^ "Australia's 100 most popular baby names". Kidspot. April 2, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-10.