Isbell
A surname meaning “son of Isabel,” ultimately from the medieval female given name Isabel/Isabel.
The #3,594 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,171 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Isbell is a surname formed from the medieval personal name Isabel, with the final -s in older records sometimes marking “son of” or possession. Isabel itself is a medieval form of Elizabeth, ultimately from Hebrew Elisheva, meaning roughly “God is my oath.” In English records the surname appears in forms such as Isbell, Isabell, and Isbells.
History
The name is attested in medieval and later English records, especially in Kent and elsewhere in southern and eastern England. One 19th-century source notes it as a baptismal surname derived from a once-popular female forename, and another records its appearance in Norfolk and nearby counties in the 13th and 16th centuries. The surname later spread more widely in England and to the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A striking feature of Isbell is that it began from a woman’s given name, which is less common than patronymic surnames formed from fathers’ names.
From the historical record
“ISACKE. See Isaac. ISBELL. In H.R. Isabel. See Female Christian Names. ISELTON. Properly Iseldon, the an- cient name of Islington, near Loudon. ISHAM. A place in the hundred of Orlingbui-y, co. Northampton, -where an elder branch of the existing family, Isham of Lamport, were seated soon after the Con- quest.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom