Isabella is the 4th most popular female name in the United States; this Italian monikor didn’t even crack the Top 1000 between 1949 and 1980. In 1990, it re-entered the U.S. Top 1000 at a lowly #894, by 1998, it cracked the top 100 and peaked at its highest at #1 in 2009 & 2010. She currently ranks high at # 4. Her popularity was most likely enabled by a few celebrities who chose this name for their children in the 1990s, most notably, Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman.

If you love the style of Isabella but just don’t want your child to be one of many in a classroom, then these similar alternatives may be just right up your alley.

• Diletta: with a beautiful and delectable sound, this name has been in the Italian top 100 since 2010. She currently ranks at #52 in Italy, but doesn’t even make an appearance in the U.S. Top 1000. She derives from the Latin dilectus meaning, “beloved.”
  Donatella: this fashion forward lovely is borne by Donatella Versace and was the subject of an eponymous 2013 Lady Gaga pop song, but she is currently not in the U.S. Top 1000.
  Elisabetta: a more elaborate Italian form of Elizabeth, like Diletta, she also appears in the Italian Top 100, but doesn’t appear in the U.S. Top 1000, a 2-for-1 deal, this would make a recognizable yet unusual alternative for Elizabeth or Isabella.
  Fiammetta: this is a Medieval Italian favorite which appears in the work of Boccacio & Dante Aligheri. It means “little flame.”
  Fiordelise: another Medieval Italian gem, this means “fleur-de-lis” or “cornflower.”
  Inasiata: I couldn’t find any information on this mysterious beauty, other than it being recorded as a female name in 14th-century Northern Italy.
  Isabeau: this is an older French variation of Isabelle and has the gender-bending nickname option of Beau.
  Isaltina: an Italian elaborate form of Isolde, it is occasionally still used in Brazil & Mozambique.
  Isaura, Izora: a Greek place-name that has been in use for centuries due to a saint, there is also the Cajun form of Izora which was in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880 & 1904.
  Izetta: pronounced i-ZET-tah or ee-ZET-tah, it is uncertain where the name stems from but was fairly common in the Appalachian area between the 18th-century & 19th-century.
  Isabetta: a beautiful Medieval Italian form of Isabella.
• Isabelline: a Medieval French diminutive form of Isabelle, it is used to describe an off-white colour and is the name of several different species of birds as well as the name of a type of architecural style found in Spain that was popularized under the reign of Isabel I of Castile.
  Isatis: a French nature name, it is from the French word for the artic fox and also the name of a type of flower.
  Iselota, Iselotte: an Anglo-Norman diminutive form of Isolde, these Medieval OGs are definitely due for a comeback.
  Iseppa: this is a Medieval Venetian form of Giuseppa.
• Isolde: a romantic literary Medieval name, she never quite caught on in the United States.
  Isoline/Iseline: French and Norwegian variation of Isolde, there is also the lyrical Italian version of Isolina and the more subdued Norwegian form of Iselin.
  Isotta: the Italian form of Isolde, it is a besotted jewel that is dying to be used.
• Jacobella: this is a Medieval Italian feminine form of Jacob. It is frilly and over-the-top, but so was Isabella once upon a time, before everyone got used to it, so why not this other -bella name?
  Lisabetta: a 15th-century Florentine form of Isabella & Elizabeth.
  Lucietta: an Italian diminutive form of Lucia, pronounced loo-CHYET-tah
  Orabella: a Ladino name meaning “gold” & “beautiful.”
  Solbella: a Ladino name meaning “beautiful sun.”
  Viridiana: from the Latin viridis, meaning “green,” it was borne by a few saints and is occasionally used in Italy, Spanish-speaking countries & Portuguese-speaking countries.
  Ysé, Ysée: of uncertain meaning, it seems to have first been used by French poet & dramatist, Paul Claudel for his play, Partage de Midi (1906).
  Ysbetta: a Medieval Italian variation of Isabella or Elizabeth.
  Mehetabel: an unusual Biblical name that experienced some use in the 18th-century among Puritans, it means “God is my pleasure.”
  Mirabelle, Mirabella: a Medieval name, this was derived from the Latin mirabelis “wonderful.” It is also the name of a type of plum.
  Christabel, Christabella: a Medieval elaborate form of Christine.
  Amabilia: a Late Latin form of Annabelle.

What do you think?

Would you use any of these names?

Have any of these names inspired you? Please share