So just how popular IS Isabelle?

[PointyDogs]

We are expecting DD1 in a few weeks, and both of us really like the name Isabelle (I even named my cat Isabelle about 14 years ago, it isn't a new thing!). I know it is in the top rank of names, but checking through numbers for 2010, looking at 3 different spellings (Isabelle, Isabella, Isabel), it comes in at just under 1% of girls being given that name. That doesn't sound like that many - not considering when I was at school there were SO many Claires, Sharons, Marys, Helens etc. Only 1 in a 100 at primary school - may well only be another 1 or 2 depending on school size. We had initially not considered the name because of the popularity, but keep coming back to it.

So those of you who have regular contact with young children or new babies (we don't at the moment) - are there really that many Isabelle/Izzy/Bellas etc out there? We live in the South East if that makes any difference.

I know 2 Isabelle's, 1 Isobel, 1 izobel, 2 bella's and 1 belle. But hey who cares if you love it? It's hard to find that one name you just love so go for it

Very very popular - but it is a lovely name.

In 2010: 2689 girls born called Isabelle, can't find 2011 hope i'm not being dumb

I'd say pretty popular but to you she's be the best Isabelle!

I'm in Ireland and don't know any. ALthough my granny was called Isabelle (neccessery on a bicycle )

It's a lovely name but there are lots of them around us (live in SE England too). It's beautiful but less so if your DD ends up being known as Isabelle-PointyDogs for all of her school days because there are others in her classes with same name

When DS was at nursery at one point there were 5 spelled variously. It was the most popular name by far.

I have an Isabel. She's the only one in her yr 1 class. I know one Belle age 3 and an Isabelle age 9 at our school there are only three of them in the school. Dont know any younger ones

I have an Isabella (2.5 years) whom we call Izzie for short. In my NCT class there was also an Isabelle, but other than that I've not yet met another Isabella/Isabelle and my DD is the only one at her nursery.

I'm sensing that it's popular in certain regions, but here where I am in Scotland I'm not aware of many/ any!

Obv I'm hugely bias but I think it's a v pretty name and freq get compliments on it from folk. I'd say go for it !!

Very popular but then it's also very beautiful and a classic. If I ever have a DD that's probably what we're going to call her :)

I have an Isabelle - though known to all as Bella. She is the only one in her yr1 class. I am in Australia but it is very popular here so I am surprised there aren't any more in her year.

I have a dd (22 months) called Isabelle. I don't know anyone else with her name.

I know five under six! But it's a beautiful name and there are lots of nicknames.

I know of a few, but I wouldn't say it's over popular. Where I live there are lot's of Lily, Millie, Evie and Ava's.

I know of at least 5 under 5.

I know of about 12 under the age of 2. Most with Rose as a middle name too.

I have an Isabel (by FAR the nicest spelling I think) she's 13 mo and we live in Spain and I've only come across adults with the name here.

In fact the midwife who first saw me when I arrived at hospital to have her was an Isabel!

Thanks for the interesting responses, it does seem to vary a lot from area to area! No idea how popular it is round here - I might ask my midwife next week, she should have an idea how many there are. We do love the name, and we're not looking for a totally unique name for LO (also on list is Rebecca, Jennifer, Aoife, Cara, Ciara, Abigail). It never really bothered us growing up that there were lots of other people sharing our names (DH was one of 4 in his class, and I was once in a small office with 4 other PointyDogs!), so not sure how big an issue it is really. Although I know lots of people hate the idea of their LO sharing a name with someone else :)

I do know quite a few, but they seem to be known by different variants of their name ie Bel, Bella, Issie etc so it's not really an issue. We're in N London.

Funny, the girls names that seem to be everywhere in the rest of the SE, like Mia, Esme, Evie, Ava are much less conspicuous here amongst toddlers and newborns - most of them with those names are about 10 now. It's all stuff like Juno and Florence now. At least, that's what I hear yelled at the bolters in the park

I have an Isabel (she is 17 months). At the first baby group I went to there were 11 babies and 4 were Isabels!

I'd have chosen Isabel ten years ago but decided not to for new dd because it is so popular and I know an adult one who I didn't then and don't particularly want dd's name connected to one friend.

I do prefer less common names though and quite a few I'd have used a few years ago have become too popular in my view. Good that I know, or that i've got in early with the name she has, before popularity strikes, I don't know. How can we know what's going to be popular next? Names on my 'like' list seem quite a good indicator!

2600 may sound like a lot but there were 600,000 babies born so that many out of approx 300,000 girls isn't all that many.

My DD has 2x Isabellas and 1x Isabelle in her class, another Isabella in the other class. DS has an Ysabella and Isabella in his, and another Isabella and an Isobel in the other class. I know a Bella and an Isobel.

I really like Cara.

I like the name, and love the rare version, Sabella.