THE MEANING & THE CONTEXT
The story behind Isabel
Isabel is recorded as a female given name in Tagalog and Cebuano. The source gives a linguistic connection through Spanish, specifically the form Isabel.
The etymology is not settled. The explanation above keeps the source’s uncertainty rather than assigning a definite meaning.
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Tagalog
- /ʔisaˈbel/Standard-Tagalog
- [ʔɪ.sɐˈbɛl]Standard-Tagalog
I · sa · bel3 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
TagalogEtymology & source
Borrowed from Spanish Isabel, borrowed from Old Occitan Elisabel, from Latin Elisabeth, borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾĕlîšeḇaʿ), from אֵל (el) + נִשְׁבַּע (nishbá). Doublet of Elizabeth.
a female given name from Spanish
Wiktionary: Isabel (Tagalog) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
CebuanoEtymology & source
From Spanish Isabel.
a female given name from Spanish
Wiktionary: Isabel (Cebuano) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
From Spanish Isabel, from Old Occitan Elisabel, from Latin Elisabeth, from Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), from Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elishéva, “my God is an oath”). Doublet of Elizabeth.
A female given name from Hebrew.
Wiktionary: Isabel (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
SpanishEtymology & source
Borrowed from Old Occitan Elisabel, from Latin Elisabeth, from Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), from Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elishéva, “my God is an oath”). The initial El- was lost probably because it was mistaken for el, an article.
a female given name, equivalent to English Elizabeth; Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms (r. 1952–2022)
Wiktionary: Isabel (Spanish) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Isabel
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Elizabeth Cooper
Filipina film actress, vaudeville dancer, and singer (1914-1960)
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Isabel Granada
Filipino actress and singer (1976–2017)
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Public-record transcription
5
eligible source records · 2001
This spelling is reported in an openly licensed transcription of elected-candidate records. This is a record count, not a birth count or national popularity measure.
OpenHalalan / COMELEC ↗Wikidata
9
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Isabel Granada, Elizabeth Cooper
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Isabel in the birth records
Exact spelling, stated year, published top-ten tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Available publications: 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. No 2021 count is inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Related forms & spellings
Related forms may have their own language histories. They are not included in this spelling’s PSA count.
Similar names to Isabel
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Isabela♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Isabelo♂Given name documented in Philippine-linked records; lexical meaning not established here
- Izabel♀Given name documented in Philippine-linked records; lexical meaning not established here
- Ysabel♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Abel♂Etymology uncertain; see source accounts
- Isabella♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Isabelle♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Ismael♂Name formation documented in dictionary sources
What rhymes with Isabel?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
- AbelTagalog · /-el/
- ArnelTagalog · /-el/
- DanielTagalog · /-el/
- FidelTagalog · /-el/
- GabrielTagalog · /-el/
- GabrielleTagalog · /-el/
- IsmaelTagalog · /-el/
- IsraelTagalog · /-el/
- MaelTagalog · /-el/
- ManuelTagalog · /-el/
- MaribelTagalog · /-el/
- MiguelTagalog · /-el/
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Recorded combinations with Isabel
6 source-reported compound forms include this name as a component. Each part keeps its own history.
Names in this collection
- Ana Isabel♀Given name documented in Philippine-linked records; lexical meaning not established here
- Florinda Isabel·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Ma Isabel·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Ma. Isabel·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- María Isabel♀Given name documented in Philippine-linked records; lexical meaning not established here
- Susan Isabel·Recorded Philippine given-name form
Explore Isabel further
Follow the sources
- OpenHalalan — pinned 2001 COMELEC transcription (opens in a new tab)
Source-reported given-name form in a row with a separate explicit middle initial; ODbL-1.0.
- COMELEC — 2001 List of Elected Candidates (opens in a new tab)
Original document identified by the transcription; selected PDF entries were spot-checked, not every imported row.
- Wikidata given-name item Q4218918 — Isabel (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Isabel Granada (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q4218918 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Elizabeth Cooper (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q4218918 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Isabel (Tagalog) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Isabel (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Isabel (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Isabel (Spanish) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.