How many baby Isabelles/Isabellas/Isabels/Isobels do you know?

[inuinnit]

Please can you help me out with a straw poll? I'm drawn to unusual names but my hubby has been rejecting all of them because they "don't sound like names". He loves Isobel.

I think it's beautiful but from ONS 2016 list, seems like when you put together all of the various spellings it is one of the most popular names (even THE most popular name) for girls. I don't want her to be one of a few Isobels in her class.

We don't know many babies - those of you who have babies, how many little Isabels/Isobels/Isabelles/Isabellas/Isabelas/Izabels (that's on the ONS list as well) do you know?

Thanks!

Go on bounty regional baby names that will tell you the popularity of the name in your area, don't worry too much if you go for it you can always use a Nn so she isn't Isobel j ect.

So many. There's probably one in every class at my DD's school. We're in Essex.

I know three in their 40s, Isabel, Isobel and Isabella. I'm related to two of them. I only know one two year old in my immediate circle called Isabella though.

My DD9 is Isabelle. We live in France so its spelt the French way . No other Isabelle's where we are and when we were in England she was the only one in a school of 450 pupils.

My 10yr old dd is Isobella. She's in a school with an Isobel. Don't know any others. I loved the name, don't care if it's popular.

Toddlers, one.
Ten year olds, eleventy zillion.

There are 5 in my eldests year group. Out of, I think, 60 children. So just over 8%

He's 7 though. Don't really know any babies

Lots and lots of Isabelle and Isabella here. I'm not aware of an Isobel, but I don't think the spelling really matters as the sound is still identical - so in a class a child would still be Isobel A, even if the others were Isabelle B and Isabelle C IYSWIM.

Around here (Midlands) I'd say the variations of Isabelle (including Bella) are the names I hear the most often in girls of around 10 and under.

It is a nice name though, and I'm not necessarily put off by names being in the top 10. Both of my DSs have top 10 names, we really struggled to agree on names for them at all TBH so went with ones we both liked although we knew they might be popular. DS1 (now 20) was the only boy with his name in his entire year group all throughout primary and secondary school - although it was actually the number 1 name around the time he was born. DS2 had one other boy with his name at primary school and 2 or 3 others is his year group at secondary school (240 pupils).

In contrast, the names Robyn and Roxy are further down the popularity lists at the moment - but there is one year group in our small village school with two of each! My point being, sometimes you can do your best to choose a rare name and still end up being one of two in a class, so IMHO, you are better off just choosing the name you loved in the first place.

Quite a few that are 6 and under.

One adult.

Scotland is lovely, OP!

Haha thanks stargirl.

This is really helpful thanks everyone. Sent this thread to hubby as my takeaway was that it's a gorgeous name but way more popular than I would like. His reading is that everyone likes it so it's good choice...!

Better question I guess is whether it matters having a super popular name. I've never met anyone with the same name as me so don't know. There were 5 Jennifers in my year and I was always glad though not to be JennyM JennyS, etc.

It feels like every baby girl I've known of born in the last 2 years is an Isabella. I think it's too fussy and much prefer Isabel but still wouldn't use it as the fact that it is just everywhere really takes the shine off it for me.

I know 2. One is an adult and the other is a baby

Shitloads.

I have an Isobel. She's about to become a teenager. She's never had another Isobel in her class. There's an Isabelle in her dance class though. The bane of her life has been the inability to get any of those personalised water bottles etc with the correct spelling.

To be honest just pick a name you like rather than look for an unusual one because it's sods law that everyone else has had the same idea.

Friend of mine spent months trying to find an unusual name for her dc. Finally settled on (let's say) Ichabod only to have 3 other 'ichabods' in reception class. My son is called James. There were no other James' in his class. Go figure.

I only know one baby one, but there were 3 in DS1's class at primary and currently 2 in DS2's Y1 class. I also have two friends with Isobel/Isabelle DDs under the age of 8. It's quite popular round here!

The good news is that there are plenty of other Isa- and -bel names to choose from.

Isadora
Isalin
Iseult

Annabel
Arabel
Mirabel
Clarabel

I'm a teacher and every class I teach bar one has at least one Isobel/Isabelle/Isabella (we have about 18 in each class, 8 in 6th form) and two classes I teach have two.
My little dd has 4 friends called Isabel/Isabelle we always have to use surnames when referring to them.
Lovely names but super popular!

Similar names: Annabelle, Arabella, Imogen, Gabrielle, Abigail, Rosabelle, Mirabelle,...

It's a gorgeous name which is why it's so popular. Isobel is my favourite spelling as well

I do know loads though. I've been doing Brownies for five years and never had less than two Isabelle/Isabella/Isabel/Isobel in 24 girls.

There are two in my son's Reception class and I know another 7 year old one. Pretty name though.

My deceased grandma was Isobel
My aunt is Isabel in her 40's
My sister 28, is Isabelann

I know an Isabella and an Isabel in primary school.

I know an Izzy, Isabel, Isobel and Isobelle and a Belle and 2 Bella's but one is a dog

3 year old DC has three friends called Isabelle. I've taught two classes with three Isabelles in - usually at least one. They all end up being called Issy. Beautiful name but not for you if popularity bothers you. I almost expect baby girls to have an 'Isabelle' birth announcement now.