# Isabel

Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of Elisabeth (ultimately Hebrew Elisheba). Arising in the 12th century, it became popular in England in the 13th century following the marriage of Isabella of Angoulême to the king of England. Today it is sometimes abbreviated to Isa.

## Etymology

This set of names is a Spanish variant of the Hebrew name Elisheba through Latin and Greek represented in English and other European languages as Elisabeth. These names are derived from the Latin and Greek renderings of the Hebrew name based on both etymological and contextual evidence (the use of Isabel as a translation of the name of the mother of John the Baptist). The variant form originated through the loss of the first syllable through rebracketing and the replacement of final /t/ with /l/ (as /t/ does not appear word-finally in standard Spanish). Elisabeth was understood in Spain as a name with the masculine definite article el "the", that is to say *El Isabeth, from it, the short form *Isabeth where the final -el was substituted to -eth, both for aesthetical reasons or feminization, or the entire syllable -bel was substituted to -beth, by analogy with bella "pretty, beautiful".

## Notable individuals

* Isabel I (1451–1504), Queen of Castile and Léon (1474–1504), Queen consort of Aragon (1479–1504)
* Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1846–1921)
* Isabel Aboy, Spanish actress
* Isabel Allende, Chilean author and niece of Salvador Allende
* Isabel Barrows, American stenographer
* Isabel Bayrakdarian, Canadian-Armenian lyric soprano
* Isabel of Beaumont, English noblewoman
* Isabel Alfonsa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infanta of Spain and Countess Zamoyska
* Isabel Graham Bryce, British public servant
* Isabel of Cambridge, English noblewoman and Countess of Essex
* Isabel Carrasco, Spanish politician
* Isabel Casimiro, Mozambican sociologist
* Isabella of Clermont, Queen of Naples as the first wife of King Ferdinand I of Naples
* Isabel Cleghorn, British educationist and suffragist
* Isabel of Coimbra, Portuguese infanta and Queen of Portugal
* Isabel Cowe, Scottish suffragist
* Isabel Maria de Alcântara, Brazilian noblewoman and Duchess of Goiás
* Isabel de Clare, Anglo-Norman noblewoman and 4th Countess of Pembroke
* Isabel de Castro, Portuguese actress
* Isabel de Forz, English noblewoman and 8th Countess of Devon
* Isabel de Herédia, Portuguese businesswoman and Duchess of Braganza
* Isabel de Santa Rita Vás, Indian author, playwright, theatre director and teacher
* Isabel Pinto de Vidal, Uruguayan feminist lawyer and politician
* Isabel de Villena, Aragonese writer of religious treaties
* Isabel de Warenne, English noblewoman and Countess of Arundel
* Isabel de Warenne, English noblewoman and Countess of Surrey
* Isabel de Madariaga, British historian
* Isabel del Puerto, Mexican-American actress
* Isabel Derungs, Swiss snowboarder
* Isabel Dias also known as Bartira among other names, Brazilian and Amerindian figure
* Isabel dos Santos, Angolan businesswoman
* Isabel Elizabeth Francis (1991–2022), Singaporean murder victim
* Isabel Escobar, Brazilian-American environmental engineer
* Isabel Fillardis, Brazilian actress
* Isabel Godin des Odonais, traveler in the Amazon Basin
* Isabel Granada, Filipino actress
* Isabel Ge Mahe, Chinese businesswoman
* Isabel Gemio, Spanish television presenter
* Isabel Getty, American singer-songwriter
* Isabel Hardman, British journalist
* Isabel Hardwich, British electrical engineer
* Isabel Hodgson, Australian soccer player
* Isabel Jean Jones, English-born South African consumer journalist
* Isabel Lamberti, Dutch film director
* Isabel Stevens Lathrop, American singer
* Isabel Güell i López, Spanish composer, pianist, organist
* Isabel Leonard, American opera singer
* Isabel Wiseler-Santos Lima, Portuguese-born Luxembourgish politician
* Isabel Mendes Lopes (born 1982), Portuguese politician
* Isabel Lucas, Australian actress and model
* Isabel Macedo, Argentine actress
* Isabel Marant, French fashion designer
* Isabel May, American actress
* Isabel McCorkindale, Australian temperance activist
* Isabel Briggs Myers, American writer who co-created the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test
* Isabel Neville, English noblewoman and Duchess of Clarence
* Isabel Newstead (1955–2007), British paralympic athlete
* Isabel Nicholas, British painter and costume designer
* Isabel Nkavadeka, Mozambican politician
* Isabel Nolan, Irish artist
* Isabel Oli, Filipino actress
* Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer (1901–1974), Puerto Rican brothel owner
* Isabel Ordaz, Spanish actress
* Isabel Pantoja, Spanish singer
* Isabel Parra, Chilean singer-songwriter
* Isabel Weld Perkins, American heiress, author, and society hostess
* Isabel Perón, President of Argentina (1974–1976) and third wife of Juan Perón
* Isabel Pires (born 1990), Portuguese politician
* Isabel of Portugal, Lady of Viseu and natural daughter of King Ferdinand I of Portugal
* Isabelle Rauch (born 1968), French politician
* Isabel Abraham Ross (1885–1964), British teacher, suffragist, pacifist and biographer
* Isabel Ruth, Portuguese actress
* Isabel Sanford, American actress
* Isabel Seymour, British suffragette and politician
* Isabel Giberne Sieveking (1857–1936), British suffragette, historian and writer
* Isabel Toledo (1961–2019), Cuban-American fashion designer
* Isabel Waidner, German-British writer and cultural theorist
* Isabel Wilkerson, American journalist
* Isabel Bras Williamson (fl. 1430 – 1493), Scottish merchant
* Isabel Wolff, British novelist

### Individuals named Isabelle

* Isabella of France (disambiguation)
* Isabelle of Luxembourg (1247–1298), a daughter of Henry V of Luxembourg and his wife Margaret of Bar
* Isabelle of Orléans (disambiguation)
* Princess Isabelle (disambiguation)
* Isabelle Abiera (born 1992), a Filipina actress and model
* Isabelle Adjani (born 1955), a French film actress and singer
* Isabelle Antena, a French singer
* Isabelle Arnould (born 1970), a retired Belgian female freestyle swimmer
* Isabelle Aubret (born 1938), a French singer
* Isabelle Autissier (born 1956), a French sailor, navigator, writer and broadcaster
* Isabelle Amyes (born 1950), an English actress
* Isabelle Blais, a Canadian actress and musician
* Isabelle Blanc (born 1975), a French snowboarder and Olympic champion
* Isabelle Boulay (born 1972), a francophone Canadian pop singer
* Isabelle Boulogne (born 1971), a French sprint canoer
* Isabelle Brasseur (born 1970), a Canadian figure skater
* Isabelle Breitman (born 1959), a French actress and director
* Isabelle von Bueltzingsloewen (born 1964), a French academic and historian
* Isabelle Buret, a French telecommunications and space science engineer
* Isabelle Le Callennec (born 1966), French politician
* Isabel Calvimontes (1790-1855), a Bolivian-born Argentine patriot; one of the Patricias Argentinas
* Isabelle Carbonell, a Belgio-Uruguayan documentary photographer and filmmaker
* Isabelle Caro, a French model suffering from severe anorexia nervosa
* Isabelle Carré (born 1971), a French actress
* Isabelle Champmoreau (born 1974), a New Caledonian politician
* Isabelle Charest (born 1971), a Canadian short track speed skater
* Isabelle Chartrand (born 1978), a Canadian ice hockey player
* Isabelle Cheng (born 1970), an intelligence agent
* Isabelle Collin Dufresne (aka Ultra Violet, 1935–2014), a French-American artist
* Isabelle Corey (1939–2011), a French film actress
* Isabelle Coutant-Peyre (born 1952), a French lawyer
* Isabelle Daniels (1937–2017), an American athlete, who mainly competed in the 100 metres
* Isabelle de Charrière (1740–1805), a Dutch-born writer of the Enlightenment
* Isabelle de Craon (1212-), a French noblewoman
* Isabelle Debré (born 1957), a member of the Senate of France
* Isabelle Delobel (born 1978), a French figure skater
* Isabelle Delorme (1900–1991), a Canadian composer, pianist and music educator
* Isabelle de Meulan (c. 1148 – 1220), a French noblewoman
* Isabelle Demongeot (born 1966), a former French professional tennis player
* Isabelle de Montolieu (1751–1832), a Swiss novelist and translator
* Isabelle Despres, a French slalom canoer
* Isabelle Devaluez (born 1966), a retired French discus thrower
* Isabelle Diks (born 1965), a Dutch GreenLeft politician
* Isabelle Dinoire (born 1967), the first person to undergo a partial face transplant
* Isabelle Duchesnay (born 1963), an ice dancer who competed for both Canada and France
* Isabelle Durant (born 1954), a Belgian politician, member of the Ecolo party
* Isabelle Eberhardt (1877–1904), a Swiss-Algerian explorer and writer
* Isabelle Ferron (born 1967), an actress in both film and stage
* Isabelle Fijalkowski (born 1972), a retired French basketball player
* Isabelle Flory, a French violinist
* Isabelle Jane Foulkes (1970–2001), Anglo-Welsh artist, textile designer and disability campaigner
* Isabelle Fuhrman (born 1997), an American teen actress
* Isabelle Gatti de Gamond (1839–1905), an Italo-Belgian educationalist, feminist and politician
* Isabelle Goldenson (-2005)
* Isabelle Guyon (born 1961), French-born researcher in machine learning
* Isabelle Haak (born 1999), Swedish volleyball player
* Isabelle Bowen Henderson (1899–1969), American painter and floriculturist
* Isabelle Holland (1920–2002), an author of children and adult fiction books
* Isabelle Huppert (born 1953), a French actress
* Isabelle Keith (1898–1979), an American actress
* Isabelle Kridluar (1954–2018), Inuk artist who lived by Repulse Bay, Nunavut, Canada
* Isabelle LaMal (1886–1952), an American film actress
* Isabelle Laville (died 1987), French murder victim
* Isabelle Lendl (born 1991), an American amateur golfer
* Isabelle Li, Singaporean table tennis player
* Isabelle Liberman (1918–1990), an American psychologist
* Isabelle Lucas (1927–1997), a Canadian-born British actress and singer
* Isabelle Mancini (born 1967), a French cross country skier
* Lady Isabel Manners (1918–2008), British socialite
* Isabelle Mercier (born 1975), a Canadian professional poker player
* Isabelle E. Merry (1907–2000), Australian Congregational minister and chaplain
* Isabelle Mir (born 1949), a French former Alpine skier
* Isabelle Morneau (born 1976), a defender on the Canada women's national soccer team
* Isabelle Mouthon-Michellys (born 1966), a French athlete
* Isabelle Nanty (born 1962), a French actress and film director
* Isabelle Nylander (born 1990), a Swedish figure skater
* Isabelle Pasco (born 1966), a French actress and model
* Isabelle Pasquet (born 1962), member of the Senate of France
* Isabelle Pearson (born 1981), Canadian judoka
* Isabelle Peretz, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Montreal
* Isabelle Périgault (born 1971), French politician
* Isabelle Pieman (born 1983), Belgian figure skater
* Isabelle Pinson (1769–1855), French genre painter and portraitist
* Isabelle Rampling (born 1985), Canadian synchronized swimmer
* Isabelle Rezazadeh, also known as Rezz, a Canadian DJ and record producer
* Isabelle Romée (1377–1458), the mother of Joan of Arc
* Isabelle Sadoyan (1928–2017), French actress
* Isabelle Sandy (1884–1975), French poet and writer
* Isabelle Schad (born 1970), German dancer and choreographer
* Isabelle Severino (born 1980), French gymnast and actress
* Isabelle Simonis (born 1967), Belgian politician from the Socialist Party
* Isabelle Stengers (born 1949), Belgian philosopher and the daughter of the historian Jean Stengers
* Isabelle Stoehr (born 1979), French professional squash player
* Isabelle Stone, (1868-1944), American physicist
* Isabelle Story (1887–1970), American writer and editor
* Isabelle Thompson (1891 – 1946), Hawaiian-American teacher and politician
* Isabelle Turcotte Baird (born 1970), Canadian athlete
* Isabelle Urquhart (1865–1907), American stage actress
* Isabelle Vasseur (born 1959), member of the National Assembly of France
* Isabelle Valentin (born 1962), French politician
* Isabelle Vengerova (1877–1956), a Russian-born American pianist and music teacher
* Isabelle Wendling (born 1971), a French handball player
* Isabelle Wéry, a Belgian actress and writer
* Isabelle Westbury (born 1990), an English cricketer
* Isabelle White (1894–1972), a British diver
* Isabelle Yacoubou (born 1986), is a French of Bénin origin professional basketball player

### Fictional characters

* Isabelle Andersson, fictional character in the Sune book series, Sune's younger sister
* Isabel Hoffman, American Girl character
* Isabelle Kruger, a fictional character played by Marion Cotillard in the 2005 film The Black Box
* Isabelle (comics), a Belgian comic book series
* Isabelle of Cornwall, the mother of Tristan in Arthurian legend
* Isabel Fernandez, fictional character in the book Refugee
* Isabelle Lightwood, fictional character in The Mortal Instruments series and Shadowhunters TV series based on the novel.
* Isabelle Palmer, American Girl character
* Isabelle Tyler, a fictional character on the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400
* Isabelle (Animal Crossing), an anthropomorphic dog character who was introduced as the mayor's assistant in the Nintendo 3DS game title Animal Crossing: New Leaf