Show ContentsIsabel Surname History

Etymology of Isabel

What does the name Isabel mean?

The name Isabel has a long French heritage that first began in the northern region of Normandy. The name is derived from when the family lived in Normandy, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Isabel family

The surname Isabel was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy.

Early History of the Isabel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Isabel research. Another 39 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1696, 1808, 1818, 1824 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Isabel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Isabel Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Isabel some of which are Isabel, Isabelle, Isabeau, Isabé, Isabey and many more.

Early Notables of the Isabel family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

  • Charles-Edouard Isabelle, born in Havre in 1808, who became an architect...

Isabel Ranking

In the United States, the name Isabel is the 16,885th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Isabel migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Isabel has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Isabel were

Isabel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jeanne Isabel married in 1667 in Ameau
Isabel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Manuel Isabel, aged 26, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 2

Isabel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Isabel Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Guillaume Isabel, who married in 1648 in Quebec
  • Adrien Isabel, son of Jean and Marie, who married Catherine Poitevin, daughter of Guillaume and Françoise, in Sainte-Famille, Quebec on 10th October 1669 3
  • Michel Isabel, son of Jean and Marie, who married Marie Bidon, daughter of Louis and Marie, in Château-Richer, Quebec on 11th April 1673 3
  • Françoise Isabel married in Quebec in 1690
  • Marc Isabel married in Quebec in 1698
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Isabel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Louis Isabel, son of Michel and Marie, who married Marie-Barbe Prou, daughter of Jean and Jacquette, in Saint-Thomas, Quebec on 11th August 1704 3
  • Thomas Isabel, son of Marc and Marguerite, who married Marie-Madeleine Fortier, daughter of Pierre-Noel and Anne, in Saint-Laurent-de-l'Ă®le-d'OrlĂ©ans, Quebec on 23rd April 1731 3
  • Joseph Isabel, son of Louis and Madeleine, who married Marguerite Asselin, daughter of Nicolas and Marguerite, in Sainte-Famille-de-l'Ă®le-d'OrlĂ©ans, Quebec on 28th January 1737 3
  • Ignace Isabel, son of Marc and Marguerite, who married Marguerite Corriveau, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Françoise, in Saint-Vallier, Quebec on 17th November 1738 3
  • Marc Isabel, son of Marc and Marguerite, who married Marie-Marthe Couture, daughter of Augustin and Élisabeth, in Beaumont, Quebec on 12th November 1742 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Isabel Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Adrien Isabel married on October 10th, 1669 in Sainte-Famille, and his brother Michel married in 1673 in Chateau-Richer, Quebec

Contemporary Notables of the name Isabel (post 1700) +

  • Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (b. 2003), American singer-songwriter and actress, known for her roles on the Disney television programs Bizaardvark (2016–2019) and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019–2022)
  • Josefina Isabel Villalobos Páramo (1924-2025), American-born Colombian-Ecuadorian public servant, first lady of Ecuador (1992-1996)
  • Sarah Isabel Clelland (b. 1997), Scottish footballer who plays for Spartans in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) as a full back
  • Fern Isabel Coppedge (1883-1951), nĂ©e Kuns, American impressionist painter from Cerro Gordo near Decatur, Illinois
  • MarĂ­a Isabel Granda Larco (1920-1983), better known as Chabuca Granda, a Peruvian singer and composer, best known song is "La flor de la canela" (The Cinnamon Flower)
  • Mrs. Margaret isabel Grayson M.B.E., British Chair for Northern Ireland Cancer Research Consumer Forum, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Cancer Research in Northern Ireland 4
  • Mariana Isabel Paiz Quan, Guatemalan female badminton player
  • J. Isabel Stambaugh (b. 1879), American United States Army nurse during World War I who served on the front line at a British Causality Clearing Center out of Base Hospital No. 10; one of three women who received the United States Distinguished Service Cross for her heroism during World War I
  • Clara Isabel AlegrĂ­a Vides (1924-2018), Nicaraguan-Salvadoran poet, essayist, novelist, and journalist
  • Margaret Isabel Dunning (1910-2015), American businesswoman and philanthropist, benefactor of the Plymouth (Michigan) Historical Museum


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  4. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 4 July 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1


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