Behind the Name Isabella

History
Historically, from the 1880s through the 1980s, Isabella was far less popular than its alternate spelling Isabel. Isabella ranked in the low 300s. In the 1980's, Isabella began to grow in popularity. In the 1990's the name continued to grow in popularity, reaching the number 6 ranking. In recent years, Isabella has become one of the most common US names for girls. Today, Isabella is one of the most popular names in the United States, currently ranking number 2 in the Social Security Administration's list of top ten names for 2007 (http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames).

Facts about Isabella

Isabella and its alternate spelling Isabel have been among the most popular names for royalty. From the 12th century to the 20th century, at least 19 Queen Isabel or Isabellas reigned. One of the most famous was Queen Isabel I of Castille, who funded Christopher Columbus' voyage to the New World. However, she is also infamous for her support of the Spanish Inquisition and her 1492 decree to expel Jews and Muslims from Spain.

Isabella Fiore is fashion brand known for its handbag and footwear collections that has developed a cult following for its playful, innovative designs.

In Italian Commedia dell'arte, Isabella is a stock character. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_%28commedia_dell%27arte%29): ''She is generally portrayed as headstrong, flirtatious, sensuous, and articulate. She is typically depicted as Pantalone's daughter and he often tries to control her life by arranging meetings with inappropriate overaged gentlemen suitors. Men constantly fall hopelessly in love with her and she loves to tease and test them.''

Saint Isabel of France lived from 1225 to 1270. The younger sister of Louis IX of France, she was courted by the son of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, but broke the engagement due to her religious beliefs. She later founded the Abbey of Longchamp.

The Isabel healthcare software helps doctors diagnose conditions by offering checklists of likely diagnoses.

Isobel "Izzie" Stevens is a fictional character on the television show Grey's Anatomy. In 2007, Katherine Heigl received an Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series for the role.

The South American bat ''Isabelle's Ghost Bat'' lives mainly in Brazil and Venezuela.

Famous Isabellas
Isabel Allende (author)
Isabella Rosselini (actress)
Isabel Martínez de Perón (president of Argentina 1974-1976)
Isabella Novic (mathmetician)
Isabella Beecher Hooker (leader in the women's suffrage movement)
Isabel Glasser (actress)
Isabel Sanford (actress)

Alternate Forms
Isabel; Bella; Marisela; Ysabella; Izabella; Isobella; Isabelle; Isabell; Isabela; Sabella; Izabelle; Isobelle; Isobell; Isabelita; Isabele; Rosabella; Ysbella; Ysabelle; Ysabell

Sources
2007 rankings are courtesy the Social Security Administration (http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/).
Historical name data generated from the Baby Name Wizard (http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager)
Sources for name facts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_%28given_name%29