I love the name [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]. I
[name_f]Love[/name_f] it more now knowing that it’s a sister name to [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and can be used to honor mom and a grandmother.
The only problem I have is the popularity. [name_m]How[/name_m] popular is [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] in your area? Where I am I don’t hear it much and usually when I do it’s [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] or [name_f]Bella[/name_f]. We would use the nn [name_u]Izzy[/name_u] instead of belle/[name_f]Bella[/name_f] . I loved as a child having a name that no one else had. If i use [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] will she be just a number in her classroom?
I actually don’t know any [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]/Isabellas despite its popularity, and I know quite a few young children. Are you expecting? If you are you may still end up being in the throws of the Isabellas but if you are just planning for the future I think in a couple more years it will be waning in popularity and it would be safe to use. I personally like the [name_f]Isobel[/name_f] spelling the best. Good luck.
I do not know any [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], actually. [name_m]Just[/name_m] A LOT of Isabellas and Bellas.
Like one [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]. Tons of Isabellas though, or just [name_f]Bella[/name_f], or some other name ([name_f]Clarabella[/name_f], etc) that can shorten to [name_f]Bella[/name_f].
I have had a friend named [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] for 40 years and she is always known by her full name and until 5 years ago I had only ever heard of one other [name_f]Isobel[/name_f] who was older by a long shot to us.
It is a beautiful name and worthy of its popularity and it is very feminine with a lot of charisma and I am sure that it would be a dream name for any little girl.
Despite it’s popularity, I’m yet to meet a little [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]. I definitely prefer [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] over [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], as I strongly dislike the name [name_f]Bella[/name_f].
If you’re worried about the popularity, maybe a different spelling, like [name_f]Isobel[/name_f], could be better?
I grew up with 1 [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] (nn [name_u]Izzy[/name_u]) and know one 11 y/o with that name. I much prefer it to [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]! I know what you mean though; a lot of names I have loved for over 10 years are now very popular
It’s very popular where I live (Pacif NW part of the US). Personally, I know an [name_f]Isabel[/name_f], [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], and 4 [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]'s. Not to mention similar names like [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f], et al. It’s a beautiful name but waaay to popular for me to use.
My taste in names tends to lean towards the weird, but all the same, I’ve always loved [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]. There’s just something inherently likeable about it. I like pp’s suggestion of using an unusual spelling like [name_f]Isobel[/name_f], [name_f]Izabel[/name_f], etc. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if you don’t like any of the other spellings, it sounds to me like you love it enough to use it.
I know an [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] and an [name_f]Isobel[/name_f].
It’s popular because it’s beautiful. If you love it (and especially if it honours relatives) then I would use it.
However if you find it’s too popular, what about these? They’re all more unfamiliar forms of [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] with a similar princess-y vibes to [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]…
[name_f]Elizabella[/name_f] / [name_f]Elizabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilibeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Eliza[/name_f] / [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] / [name_f]Elise[/name_f] / [name_f]Ailsa[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabetta[/name_f]
Or something similar to [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] = [name_f]Isadora[/name_f], [name_f]Isaline[/name_f], [name_f]Isabeau[/name_f], [name_f]Isannah[/name_f].
Or with a -belle ending = [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Arabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Corabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Mirabelle[/name_f]
I also know one [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] and many Isabellas (most go by [name_f]Bella[/name_f]). I prefer [name_f]Isobel[/name_f] -it feels less trendy and more classic to me. I don’t think you can go wrong with a classic name (especially in its full version).
Thank you for the input. Were most likely going to go with the french spelling of [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] but are also considering [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]. What other nns besides belle and izzy are commonly used for isabelle?
[name_m]Even[/name_m] if it is really popular where you live it is highly unlikely that their will be more then one [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] in a class I only know two [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]'s (different spellings) and my grandma is an [name_f]Isobel[/name_f]. Would you be upset if you didn’t use it? If the answer to that is yes then maybe you should use it despite the popularity. Isobel is my favourite name as a nickname I would use Belle or Bella but theres also Isa, Issy, Sable, Sibby, Sabelle, Sabella, Bizzy, Ella, Ellie, Elle (said L), Abbie, Aba and Libby could also work
I lovelovelove [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], and I’m so happy to see another [name_u]Berry[/name_u] who loves it like I do! I fell for it nearly 4 years ago, and my love for it has never wavered. 
Erm, I think in my state it ranks about 150, and it ranks at 126 nationally. I’ve done the math, and there are 2,483 little Isabelles born last year alone. This doesn’t take into consideration other spellings ([name_f]Isabel[/name_f] doesn’t rank too far behind, and there’s also [name_f]Isobel[/name_f], [name_f]Isobelle[/name_f], [name_f]Isabell[/name_f], [name_f]Izabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Isabele[/name_f], etc., etc., not to mention the ever-similar [name_f]Isabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Izabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Isabela[/name_f]/[name_f]Izabela[/name_f]/etc.–and just [name_f]Bella[/name_f] is even in the top 100 now…), this is just [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], mind you. So if you divide that by 50 states, you get about 49.66. I’ve done the math on several names for several different states, and it seems like in general, there’s usually about 67 counties in each state, as long as it’s not itty-bitty, like Rhode Island. So when you divide ~ 50 by 67, that’s less than one [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] born per county per year. And even that’s not bad, because there usually averages out to be about 20 school districts per county, and this is just public schools, not even [name_m]Christian[/name_m] schools, Catholic schools, charter/cyber schools, home schools, private-but-nonreligious schools, etc.! I have kept an eagle eye out for it, haha, because I’m afraid there are a TON of Isabelles out there that I’m just not meeting, but I’ve only come across one little girl named [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] (not sure how it was spelled) at a park, and I’ve come across two fully-grown Isabelles. So if you’re not lumping it together with all the spellings and variants and such, I don’t find it to be too bad. But I’ve come across probably 4 little Isabellas in the same amount of time, and a lot of people [name_f]DO[/name_f] seem to lump [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] in with [name_f]Isabella[/name_f].
I’m very much in love with [name_f]Bella[/name_f], but I think [name_u]Issy[/name_u]/[name_u]Izzy[/name_u] is really sweet, too, and I would be happy to have either a [name_f]Bella[/name_f] or an [name_u]Issy[/name_u], honestly. If it has family significance, though, I say that meaning trumps worries about popularity. The name [name_f]Lily[/name_f] (which is everywhere!) has a very special, sentimental, wonderful tie to my grandmother who passed away 3 years ago–if I got the chance, I would easily use [name_f]Lily[/name_f], no matter how popular it gets. I probably would use [name_f]Lily[/name_f] as a nn, but still, my point’s the same. I think [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]'s fab. Use it!
ETA: As for nns besides [name_u]Izzy[/name_u] and [name_f]Bella[/name_f], there’s [name_f]Belle[/name_f], [name_f]Elle[/name_f]/[name_f]Ella[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_u]Isa[/name_u], and I’ve also heard [name_u]Abby[/name_u], [name_f]Sable[/name_f], and [name_f]Sybil[/name_f] tossed around. [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] and [name_f]Sybil[/name_f] aren’t related at all, but they sound similar enough.
I don’t know any [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]/as, but then I know only one [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] who is young and maybe I know a few. None of my cousins have picked this name, and they don’t live near me. I like the nickname [name_u]Izzy[/name_u]. [name_f]Belle[/name_f]/[name_f]Bella[/name_f] is a more popular. A distant cousin named her daughter [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f] and that is getting popular (I know 2 or 3 Annabelles) [name_f]Belle[/name_f]/[name_f]Bella[/name_f] is in!
I do know little kids, but keep in my mind, it’s hard to base if you include older people. I really think it helps to look at say a near by daycare or check the paper for birth announcements.
Also [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is doing quite well in the country, but did you know you can check how a very popular name is doing in your home state. Not as helpful if you live in [name_u]California[/name_u] maybe, but here is the link!
I think [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is a beautiful name. I prefer [name_f]Belle[/name_f] to [name_f]Bella[/name_f]. Again I would [name_u]Izzy[/name_u] as the nickname. I think if you want to use, go ahead! I like the family story.
Good [name_m]Luck[/name_m]!
Taking this opportunity to advocate again for [name_f]Zibby[/name_f]
I think [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is lovely no matter how popular it gets. I knew one a long time ago, but I now know no one with [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Bella[/name_f], etc names at all. Then again, I also have only ever met one [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], so I think the popularity counts are weirdly distributed!
I really like the spelling [name_f]Isobel[/name_f]. [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] is a hugely popular name in Australia.
I know an [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] (adult), an [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] (10-year-old) nicknamed [name_f]Belle[/name_f] and an [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] (3-year-old) nicknamed [name_u]Izzy[/name_u]. I love, love, love the [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] version but wouldn’t use it due to the popularity of [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]/[name_f]Isabella[/name_f]/[name_f]Bella[/name_f].
haha yes, I love [name_f]Zibby[/name_f].
Also - Zabby, Sabby/[name_f]Sibby[/name_f], [name_f]Ibby[/name_f], [name_f]Zizi[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] is such a gorgeous name and the nn [name_u]Izzy[/name_u] is endearing too. Who cares if it’s popular! It sounds & looks wonderful!!! I say go for it if you love it. Cheers