is this a popular name?

[moonandstars99]

i’m due a little girl in november and i’ve been struggling with names for so long! i’ve finally come across a name that i love which is isabelle, but is the name considered popular? i don’t know of anybody called isabelle so i think leaning toward that name for her

I know quite a few aged 0-7

10 a penny but it's a beautiful name - I have one myself!

When I had mine there were none. I didn't know any and then suddenly they were everywhere. Mine is a teen so it might not be quite as popular as it was a few years ago.

Isabelle isn't as common as Isabella but I think the similarity to that name makes it sound extremely common. She will probably be nicknamed Izzy/Issy also which may be something to bare in mind & Izzy is also short for Isabella obviously lol. I like it! But I do hear it and it doesn't sound uncommon to me! I do like it though!

I know 1x age 6, 2x age 10 & 5x age 16-18.
none known as Isabelle/isobel, all nn ' Izzy, Issy, bell, Izz'.

It's a very popular name ... and for good reason. It's beautiful!! I would go for it and not worry about how many there are.

It was very popular from about 2006-10.

It's a lovely name, and will probably endure in the top 30 or so. It's no longer in the top 20. The very similar Isabella is 13th (based on BabyCentre - the official ONS stats for last year must be due out soon, they usually appear in the summer)

Many, many, many Isabelle/Isobel/Isabel/Isabellas in 13 year old DS’s year, some going by Izzy or Bella. I don’t know what it’s like now but it was getting to the point 12 years ago where I was surprised if a little girl wasn’t called some variation on Isabelle.

@CeaselessWatcher

Many, many, many Isabelle/Isobel/Isabel/Isabellas in 13 year old DS’s year, some going by Izzy or Bella. I don’t know what it’s like now but it was getting to the point 12 years ago where I was surprised if a little girl wasn’t called some variation on Isabelle.

There’s 4 in my dd2’s class right now, and there’s a new girl starting her class after the summer, guess what her name is . It’s the most common name in my area along with Lily

Yes it's very popular

Yes, I know several my sons age (he is 5), but it’s popular because it’s a nice name

Come on you know it’s a popular name; extremely so

Isobel is a slightly more unusual spelling. Very elegant name.

It's a beautiful name but very popular, how about Annabelle which is also lovely?

My dd has a similar name and whenever it's mentioned on MN people say she'll always be called a shortened version, but my dd is known by the full version because I put my foot down from the very beginning that she isn't 'nickname' she is 'full name'.

It's not inevitable that if you call her Isabelle she'll be known as Issy!

Lots about, from babies to early twenties - but for good reason as it's a lovely, classic name. I think you'd be unlucky now to get more than one in a current primary class but it's still popular enough that there is very likely to be another Isabelle/Isabella/Isabel/Isobel in her year or hobby groups imo.

I must admit I prefer the original, simpler Isabel spelling though - Isabelle looks a bit fussy to me (unless you are French/French heritage).

If you add up all the different ways of spelling it, and throw in the Isabella's and just Bella's as well, it has definitely been used massively over the last 8 years or so where I live. It seems every 5th girl is called one version or another of it.

My name was definitely in the top 100 the year I was born, had 7 people with the same name in my class.
However as an adult it has been rare for me to work with someone with my name.
I think if you really love the name, use it. It may not be an issue and even if your daughter does end up having a popular name for her year group, she won't always be in school.

Very popular and has been for the past 15 years.

It is popular but it’s so lovely - I would just use it and not worry about the popularity!

Isabelle was the 28th most popular name in England and Wales at the last count. Adding up all the spellings makes it the tenth most popular name and adding in Isabella makes the most popular name of 2019. That’s a very popular name, and although it has slightly reduced in popular meaning that she might not have another Isabelle in her class, in the world of work she will likely be amongst the older Isabelles she avoided at school.

@AuntieStella the ONS data for England and Wales is usually released at the end of August so not too long now

It's popular for a good reason - it's a lovely, timeless name. Just because it's commonly used it doesn't automatically mean that she will be one of three in her class - I look after three children and there are no Isabelle/Isobel/Isabellas in any of their year groups whereas there are multiples of much more unusual names.

Soooooo popular

It’s not the worst thing to have a popular name though surely?

There were about 7 or 8 other girls with my name in my year at high school (none at primary) and I don’t think I’ve ever worked anywhere I haven’t come across at least one other. It’s really never done me me any harm and it’s a lovely name. Even the MOST popular names aren’t as ubiquitous as back then when everyone was called one of about 10 options it seemed.

That said, I’m an Early Years teacher and have taught many many Isabellas over the last few years, peaking about 5 years ago when there were 4 in my class all going by a different nickname version. I haven’t actually taught an Isabelle yet though - nor an Isobel which is my preferred spelling.

It’s been incredibly popular for years, especially if you include the various spellings and Isabella.

It’s popular because it’s a lovely name but your child is likely to meet lots of others,

In E&W:
Isabella is the 6th most popular girls name
Isabelle is the 28th most popular girls name
Isabel is the 142nd most popular girls name
Isobel is the 151st most popular girls name

It's a popular name because it's lovely though and it's a very old, classic name derived from the same Hebrew roots as Elizabeth.

If you look at the darkgreener site both Isabelle and Isabel peaked a few years ago and are now falling in popularity.

For what it's worth I am the type to avoid a popular name for something a bit more unusual (I have an unusual name myself) but Isabel - which I have loved since I was very small - is the exception I would make to that rule if there wasn't already an Izzy in the family.

It is a lovely name.