Isabella: First or Middle?

[name_f]Isabella[/name_f] (without the nn [name_f]Bella[/name_f]) has been our top pick if baby #3 is a girl. We just aren’t sure if we should make it a middle or a first:

We tried making a list of pro’s and con’s for each position:

First:

  • It’s very familiar and won’t be mispronounced
  • If she wants a nickname, she has multiple possibilities to choose from
  • It’s very popular in our town and she might be one of 3 in her grade
  • People will probably nn her [name_f]Bella[/name_f], which we don’t like
  • It might sound a bit too twilighty combined with niece [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f]

Middle:

  • We would be able to use a name we really like without: ~getting a nn we don’t like~being one out of 5 in her grade~being too matchy with her niece
  • It might be tricky to find a first name we love with it, since we mostly like names ending on A for girls

So, what do you think? Use it as a middle or as a first?

And if you choose middle, could you perhaps suggest first names?

Thank you very much!

I like [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] a lot more in the middle.
It’s beautiful with a vast history, but I do find it sort of boring thanks to it’s popularity. And especially with your boy’s names (wonderful by the way!) I think a bolder choice in the first spot would fit better.

[name_f]My[/name_f] cousin is a [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] and I think her name is gorgeous.

I like [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] (though I prefer the more obscure [name_f]Isobel[/name_f]). I think if you really love ‘a’ girls names and [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_f]Isabel[/name_f], [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Isobel[/name_f], etc. are good middles to consider. I love it as a middle, because otherwise it’s very popular.

[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_u]Rowen[/name_u] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_u]Delaney[/name_u] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Adrienne[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Elouise[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Veronique[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_u]Laney[/name_u] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilde[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Marie[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Gwyneth[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]

[name_f]Isabella[/name_f] is beautiful but it’s extreme popularity over here in the U.K completely puts me off it as a first name.
I think it works magnificently in the middle.
Alternatively, why not try [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] as a first name, equally beautiful without being overused.
[name_f]My[/name_f] favourite [name_f]Belle[/name_f] name personally is [name_f]Mirabelle[/name_f].
Good luck x

I think [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] would make a really nice middle , and some A ending names sound good with them.

[name_f]Cara[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] for instance.

[name_f]Tia[/name_f]/[name_f]Mia[/name_f]/[name_f]Nia[/name_f]/[name_f]Lia[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]

If you love [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] I think you should go ahead and use it as the first name! Although you said there are a lot of Isabellas in your town, given that today’s top names are much less common than the names that ranked the same a generation or two back then, the chances of multiple girls with the name being together is smaller than you might think (but of course could happen). [name_m]Even[/name_m] if there are multiple Isabellas in the class or on the team, like you said having a good choice of nicknames gives her options to distinguish herself from the others.

I like [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] myself too, and have debated about the popularity issue myself - but I think unlike say [name_u]Madison[/name_u] or [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] (“trendier” names that are quickly becoming dated) [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] is a revived classic that is worthy of being widely used.

With [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] being your niece I don’t think that would make any Twilight connections obvious (now if [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] were sisters that would be different).

I think it would be nice to have [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] as a middle name (:
Here are a few suggestions:
[name_f]Isla[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Cora[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Zara[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]

Ditto. Namefan articulated my thoughts. I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] as well and would love to see another one, but it is much too popular for my liking.

[name_f]Isabella[/name_f] is popular for a good reason. It’s classic, versatile, and elegant; its popularity may go up and down but it has been around for a couple centuries and won’t be dated in twenty years like [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and [name_u]Madison[/name_u].

I think it makes a good first name. There certainly are good advantages I having a name that’s recognizable and familiar to people. And, again, popularity is relative: names are much more diverse than they were in the past, and I don’t think sharing a name with 2 or 3 people in the class is that bad. I don’t think it’s our name that make us “unique” or “special”.

Frankly, the Twilight phenomenon has been over for a couple of years now and fortunately it has already began to fade into oblivion. I doubt anyone would associate [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] with it (isn’t the character [name_f]Bella[/name_f]?), and most people have no idea who the [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] character is.

Like you’ve mentioned, [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] (like sister [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]) has the great advantage of a large pool of nicknames that she can fall back on if she wants a more uncommon name: [name_f]Ella[/name_f] (also pretty popular), [name_u]Izzy[/name_u], [name_f]Ibby[/name_f], [name_u]Issy[/name_u], [name_u]Isa[/name_u], [name_f]Libby[/name_f], [name_f]Ilsa[/name_f], Bibb, [name_f]Tibby[/name_f], [name_f]Bebe[/name_f], Ibbot, Ibb, [name_f]Lalla[/name_f], [name_f]Bess[/name_f], [name_f]Betsy[/name_f].

Of course, if uniqueness / popularity really bothers you, it might be safer to put it in the middle-spot. or use one if it’s more unusual alternatives: [name_f]Isabel[/name_f], [name_f]Isabeau[/name_f], Isalina, [name_f]Isadora[/name_f], [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], [name_f]Annabella[/name_f], [name_f]Isolde[/name_f], [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], [name_f]Elise[/name_f], [name_f]Elisabetta[/name_f].