| Isabella | Sarah | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Pledged to God | Princess |
| Origin | Hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | iz-uh-BEL-uh | SAIR-uh |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2010 (22,936) | 1982 (28,483) |
| In 2025 | 10,666 | 2,710 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Isabella | Sarah |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 67,643 | 16,944 |
| 2010s | 170,605 | 46,657 |
| 2000s | 149,571 | 124,545 |
| 1990s | 18,762 | 224,423 |
| 1980s | 567 | 272,637 |
| 1970s | 296 | 118,823 |
| 1960s | 429 | 43,913 |
| 1950s | 590 | 39,966 |
| 1940s | 774 | 39,977 |
| 1930s | 1,079 | 36,513 |
| 1920s | 2,095 | 46,769 |
| 1910s | 2,046 | 38,120 |
| 1900s | 1,038 | 17,342 |
| 1890s | 903 | 17,154 |
| 1880s | 603 | 14,715 |
Isabella is a Latinate form of Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva, “God is my oath” — one pledged or devoted to God.
Sarah is Hebrew for “princess” or “noblewoman.” In the Bible she is the wife of Abraham and a matriarch of Israel, renamed by God from Sarai.
Isabella is more popular than Sarah today: about 10,666 US babies were given the name Isabella in 2025, compared with 2,710 named Sarah.
Isabella means Pledged to God (Hebrew origin), while Sarah means Princess (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Isabella first appears in 1880 and Sarah in 1880, so Isabella has the longer recorded history.