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 Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

'' (ultimately Hebrew ''

Elisheva Elisheba (; ) was the wife of the Israelite prophet Aaron, who was the elder brother of Moses and the first High Priest of Israel, according to the Hebrew Bible. She was said to be a daughter of Amminadab from the Tribe of Judah, and a sister ...

''), 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 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 western languages as

Albert Dauzat Albert Dauzat (; 4 July 1877 – 31 October 1955) was a French linguist specializing in toponymy and onomastics. Dauzat, a student of Jules Gilliéron, was a director of studies at the École des hautes études. Works * ''L'argot des poilus; di ...

, ''Noms et prénoms de France'', Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par

Marie-Thérèse Morlet Marie-Thérèse Morlet (Guise, Aisne, November 18, 1913 - July 9, 2005) was a French scholar (specialist in onomastics) and honorary director of research at CNRS. Her publications include ''Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille'' (''Et ...

, p. 337a.Chantal Tanet et Tristan Hordé, ''Dictionnaire des prénoms'', Larousse, Paris, 2009, p. 38 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 and the replacement of final with (as does not appear word-finally in standard Spanish).Hanks, Patrick und Flavia Hodges. ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names''. Oxford University Press, 1996, p.166. Elisabeth was understood in Spain as a name with the masculi