Thirty years of Isabel
Isabel in numbers
Isabel peaked in 2006 with 1,281 girls and has fallen since, to 271 in 2025. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2001 and 2004, from 741 to 1,174. It ranked 104th in 1996, reached 45th in 2006 and ranks 184th now. On average it was given to 540 girls a year in the late 1990s, 1,087 in the 2000s, 616 in the 2010s and 330 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Similar spellings in the 2025 list†: Isobel (189), Isabell (17). Matched by their letters, not by meaning or origin. ONS counts each spelling separately, so these are not added to Isabel.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-8%294 to 271
- 5 years-26%366 to 271
- 10 years-48%518 to 271
- 20 years-78%1,232 to 271
- Since 1996-40%455 to 271
- Total, 1996 to 202521,166girls
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 184 · ONS · 294 in 2024
Rank 211 · NRS · 7 in 2024
Rank 259 · NISRA · 6 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | =184 | 271 | -8% | 1 in 1,050 |
| 2024 | 169 | 294 | -14% | 1 in 985 |
| 2023 | 145 | 341 | +2% | 1 in 845 |
| 2022 | =147 | 333 | -11% | 1 in 885 |
| 2021 | =133 | 374 | +2% | 1 in 815 |
| 2020 | =136 | 366 | +4% | 1 in 818 |
| 2019 | =142 | 351 | -8% | 1 in 887 |
| 2018 | 138 | 381 | -15% | 1 in 839 |
| 2017 | =122 | 450 | -12% | 1 in 736 |
| 2016 | 110 | 514 | -1% | 1 in 660 |
| 2015 | 110 | 518 | -15% | 1 in 656 |
| 2014 | 92 | 608 | -6% | 1 in 557 |
| 2013 * | 85 | 645 | -17% | 1 in 529 |
| 2012 | 76 | 774 | -10% | 1 in 459 |
| 2011 | 66 | 857 | -19% | 1 in 412 |
| 2010 | 58 | 1,057 | -12% | 1 in 333 |
| 2009 | 51 | 1,196 | -2% | 1 in 288 |
| 2008 | 50 | 1,217 | -4% | 1 in 284 |
| 2007 | 45 | 1,270 | -1% | 1 in 264 |
| 2006 | 45 | 1,281 | +4% | 1 in 255 |
| 2005 | 47 | 1,232 | +5% | 1 in 256 |
| 2004 | 49 | 1,174 | +5% | 1 in 265 |
| 2003 | 46 | 1,120 | +26% | 1 in 271 |
| 2002 | 59 | 891 | +20% | 1 in 326 |
| 2001 | 68 | 741 | -1% | 1 in 391 |
| 2000 | 69 | 752 | +9% | 1 in 392 |
| 1999 | 77 | 691 | +27% | 1 in 438 |
| 1998 | 96 | 544 | +16% | n/a |
| 1997 | =108 | 468 | +3% | 1 in 670 |
| 1996 | 104 | 455 | 1 in 694 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Isabel
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Isabel is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate