Isabella History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Isabella family

The surname Isabella was first found in Oxfordshire where Walter Ysabelle as listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same roll listed: John Isabell in Norfolk; and Walter filius Isabell in Lincolnshire. 1

The name is thought to have originated for the personal name "Isabella, a pet form of Elizabeth, which seems to have developed in Provence. " 2

Isabella of Angoulême (d. 1246), was the Queen of King John, daughter and heiress of Aymer, count of Angoulême, by Alicia, daughter of Peter of Courtenay, a younger son of Louis VI of France. 3

Isabella (1214-1241), wife of the emperor Frederic II, born in 1214, was the second daughter and fourth child of John, King of England, and his Queen, Isabella of Angoulême. 3

Other early rolls revealed William Isabel in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275 while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Ricardus Deyne et Isabella uxor ejus; Matilda Isebell; Johannes Issebell; and Johannes Isbell. 1

Early History of the Isabella family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Isabella research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487 and 1523 are included under the topic Early Isabella History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Isabella Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Isabella have been found, including Isabell, Isbell, Ysbell, Ysabell, Ysabelle and others.

Early Notables of the Isabella family

More information is included under the topic Early Isabella Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Isabella migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Isabella Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Roy Isabella, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870

Contemporary Notables of the name Isabella (post 1700) +

Elizabeth Isabella Spence (1768-1832), Scottish authoress, born Dunkeld, only child of Dr. James Spence, a physician at Dunkeld
Frances Isabella Haselden (1842-1936), English-born, New Zealand headmistress
Lenora Isabella Crichlow (b. 1985), English actress, known for her starring roles as Maria "Sugar" Sweet in Sugar Rush, Annie Sawyer in the drama series Being Human and as Shania Andrews in the drama film Fast Girls
Lady Ritchie Anne Isabella Ritchie (1837-1919), née Thackeray, an English writer, eldest daughter of William Makepeace Thackeray
Agnes Isabella Blenkinship, English recipient at the 1991 New Year Honours
Zoë Isabella Kravitz (b. 1988), American actress, singer and model, known for her roles in No Reservations (2007), The Brave One (2007), and X-Men: First Class (2011), daughter of Lenny Kravitz
Lucy Isabella Buckstone (1859-1893), English actress
Isabella Glyn (1823-1889), Victorian-era Shakespearean actress
Isabella Mary Mayson (1836-1865), birth name of Isabella Mary Beeton, English journalist, editor and writer of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Isabella Star LaBlanc (b. 1997), American actress and writer, member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota tribal nation, known for True Detective (2014), Long Slow Exhale (2022) and Untitled Pet Sematary Project (2023)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print