Isabel

Isabel is a Spanish and Portuguese form of Elizabeth, itself derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba, meaning my God is an oath or my God is abundance. The name spread widely through medieval Europe, carried in part by several prominent queens, including Isabel I of Castile, whose patronage of Columbus's voyages made her one of the most historically significant bearers of the name. It entered English and other Western European languages through Iberian influence and became a fashionable alternative to the more directly Latinate Elizabeth. Closely related forms include Isabella, Isabelle, Isobel, and the Occitan variant Isabèl.