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AIBU?

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Original poster

To name my daughter Isobel?

228 replies

rosepetalsoup · 20/02/2015 10:13

Ok, I have done some soul searching and realised that I have got out of touch with what names I actually like through trying to find one that's 'different'. If I am honest one of my favourite names has always been Isobel.

I understand that it is very popular, but just wanted to ask those of you with children in the 0-7 category how many you actually meet through school and so on.

Thanks.

OP posts:
TrollsTrollsEverywhere · 20/02/2015 15:10

DD1 has a popular name. We moved when she was about 11 and she went from being the only girl with that name in her old school to being one of four in her year in her new school. Confused. I don't know how many were in the school but there were a lot of them. They were both big schools.

ImBatDog · 20/02/2015 15:32

its my dd's name, but we call her Bee.

i know of maybe two or three others with the variants Isabelle and Isabella, but not other Isobels.

lots of Olivia, Lily, Amelia, Holly, Courtney, Bethany, and Maddies though!

MiaowTheCat · 20/02/2015 15:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Elfina · 20/02/2015 15:54

I love Ishbel, if you have any scots in you?!

MummyPig24 · 20/02/2015 16:19

I know 2 Isabelle's and one Isabella. I think they are lovely names. My dd has a very popular name, I think it's about number 5 although was number 2 the year she was born. But she is now almost 5 and I only know one other child that shares her name and she spells it differently. Use the name you love.

AuntieUrsula · 20/02/2015 16:47

I have an Isabel (9) and she's the only one in her school :). There are three Isabellas though

sprout44 · 20/02/2015 16:54

That is my oldest girls name and spelt exactly like that , i had loved the name but to tell the truth she is a horror at the moment 15.

sprout44 · 20/02/2015 16:56

Just to add again, lots of people comment on it being a nice name here in Ireland and i do know someone that even copied it from us.

Chessie00 · 20/02/2015 16:57

I don't know any at all.

My youngests name is Oliver. Despite it apparently being so popular, there is one other Oliver in my dc's whole school of 220 kids.

MissDuke · 20/02/2015 17:22

The only Isobel I know is in her 70's, I have three children and none of their classmates have this name. Also I am training to be a midwife and haven't cared for any mums or babies with this name.

As above, lots of Evie's though and its variations.

What about Charlotte, is it popular where you are?

lollilou · 20/02/2015 17:28

My dd age 15 is Isobel, her grandmother was Kate Isabella so we thought we would use a version of it. She likes to be called Izzie though.

DustyCropHopper · 20/02/2015 17:30

I know one Isobel (although not sure that is the spelling) I have 2 Ds' at school and neither have had an Isobel in their classes. Mind you, I have an Oliver who is 6 and I expected him to be in a class with at least one other, he is the only Oliver in 45 children in his year and there is 1 in the year above. We are in the South East.

DustyCropHopper · 20/02/2015 17:32

Ds2 is in a class with 3 Graces though!

MrsWobble3 · 20/02/2015 17:42

I named my isobel 20 years ago when I knew no-one called any version of it. within 3 months of her birth i'd met loads. but I still love it (and her!) and have absolutely no regrets. so if you like it, choose it.

Hygellig · 20/02/2015 18:10

I know one Isobel and one Isabelle. They are both under eight. Also knew someone who called her DD Isabella. I also know two adult Isabels. I like the name and think it's fine. One of my friends said that at school some kids occasionally said "Isabel hanging in a church" to her but apart from that no complaints.

Tanith · 20/02/2015 18:12

These names seem to be cyclic. Emily, Ruby, Eleanor, Lilly etc were all old fashioned names when I was growing up, then they were revived as Isabel, Grace, Florence, Eve and Eva are now.

I was wondering to myself whether I'd be seeing an Edna, Enid, Edith, Muriel or Mabel any time soon (another childminder).
Sure enough, I had my first one visit us quite recently.

ShadowSpiral · 20/02/2015 18:42

I reckon the vast majority of names are cyclical to some extent, with some having bigger swings in popularity than others.

Although James has been in or just outside the top 10 names in England for the last 100 years or so, so that's having a good long run of popularity.

GameOfGroans · 20/02/2015 19:18

It's my daughter's name so I'm biased as I love it, however she's 4 now and never met another with the same spelling. There is one Isabelle at her nursery. I'm in the SE

dougierose · 20/02/2015 19:26

Call her the name you love. I wanted to call my DD Tabitha but everyone laughed and said it was the name of a cat.

I ended up naming her a rather bland popular name which she hates as there are too many girls with the same name in her year group.

HOWEVER, she officially shortened her name when she changed schools ie it's all on the paperwork and the teachers call her this new name and .... there is no one at all with the longer version of her name. She said that she hadn't needed to change her name at all.

Circumstances will always change throughout her life, so call her by the name you love and she'll cope xxxx

dawn1967 · 20/02/2015 19:46

It's a beautiful name hence its popularity. I know 8 Isabel/Isobel/Isabelle/Isabellas - ranging from newborn/3/3/4/7/9/9/14 years old including one in the family & close family friends. South east here.

One consideration though- I accidentally (very briefly!) talked about the wrong child at a meeting simply because there were 5 boys in the same year (James) and I muddled them. Blush

Christabel was a gorgeous suggestion from another OP.

Imi22sleeping · 20/02/2015 19:52

My 18months old is Isobel and since calling her it I've heard of three others. It's a beautiful name I'm glad we called her Isobel x

Bathsheba · 20/02/2015 19:55

I'm Scottish - Isobel will always be "the wee wife in the tabard that works in the newsagent" type of name.

When I had my eldest there were millions of them - but I work in a school and I don't think we have any in the school. So despite being everywhere they are obviously not everywhere in my school zone

carrie74 · 20/02/2015 19:56

I have an Isobel, and she's the only one at her school (age 9), actually there may be another (don't know spelling) in YR. When she was tiny, we relocated, and my H started working with several people our age in his new office - every single one had a daughter Isobel variation. But I still love it. I worked with an Isobel and thought it was such a beautiful name (and spelling), hence why we used it. Other names on our list included Alice and Camilla, if either help? Friends of ours had a girl a year after us, and because we'd used Isobel (they liked it too), they went for Imogen.

I find there is a much wider variation of girls' names than boys, so my son's name makes him one of approx 5 in their smallish school, likewise names such as James, Charlie and Oliver.

Ohhelpohnoitsa · 20/02/2015 20:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DisappointedOne · 20/02/2015 20:07

I have a child with a popular Isobel variant. No others in her school (240) pupils.