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Isobel or Isabella
Which do you prefer Isobel (or a different spelling) or Isabella. Nickname Izzy, not Belle or Bella
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Isobel. No contest.
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Isobel!It has a medieval tinge to it, and Isabella is way too frilly and feminine (and popular) in comparison.Izzy is cute (although I prefer Isa).
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I prefer Isabel ;) That spelling only. Classic, simple.I loathe Isabella!
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I like Isabella but I think it's too trendy, so Isobel.
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Isobel or IsabelMy boyfriend, who has very few opinions on names, agrees.
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Lovely, I love Isobel nickname Izzy.
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I like both Isobel and Isabel enough to use, but I do prefer Isobel for its unexpected quirkiness. Isabella is inconveniently long, and there seems to be no etymological point in making it look Latin when it isn't.Izzy is fine if you really need it. I knew two friends when I was a student, never found out their actual names but they went by Bella and Iz. So one can guess. I dislike Bella except on a family dog, but Iz(zy) is overwhelmingly human, which helps. But all the Isobel and Isabel people I know have used the full form, with one exception: a Scottish Isobel who is known to some as Iso (IZ oh).
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Isobel or Isabel
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Isabel, especially if you would call her Izzy.
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Isobel all the way!ntntntntntntntnt
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I like Isobel because it's different without being kre8v. But, I usually write Isabel or Isabelle if I don't know how the person spells it.
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Most to least favorite (but I love them all):Isobel -- it's so quirky looking, less is more (meaning three syllables as opposed to four)
Isabelle -- very delicate looking
Isabel -- mysterious and alluring
Isabella -- frilly
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I've never liked Isabella. I LOVE Isabel though. Isabelle is very pretty also, but I prefer the simple look of Isabel. :-),
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Isabelis what I'd use, but I don't mind Isobel and I'm okay with Isabella as a middle name. Izzy is fine. Most of the Isabels/Isobels I've known have just used the full thing, or sometimes Is.
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Isobel, spelled Isabelle or IsabelIsabella is too frilly for me, and Isobel reminds me of isotope, isosceles, and isolation, and I hate that it has the word "sob" spelled within. There's always this half-second where I have to remind myself that it sounds like Isabel.
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I second Isabelle, but...Isabel doesn't grab me, unfortunately. It's nicer than Isobel but not as nice as Isabelle. I'm in two minds about Isobel, and Isabella is one of these few top-hundred names I've met or heard of or heard of in supermarkets... and there's tons. It's frilly and blah, and kind of detestable for that.Isabelle is lovely. Seriously. But if we're doing a scale of lovely to meh, for me it's Isabelle, Isabel, Isobel and Isabella is off the scale on the meh end of things.Oooh, wait, Isibeal and Sibeal? Both are kind of amazing and serpentine and cool! So, considering everything on BtN, my scale is Isabelle / Isibeal, Sibeal, Isabel, Isobel / Zabel, Ishbel, (begin the meh) Isabela... and then, at the far end of meh, Isabella.
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HeyNo fair. I didn't know delicate Isibeal was an option. It would top my list, along with funky Ishbel.

This message was edited 7/25/2012, 5:11 PM

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Isobel
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IsobelBetween Isobel and Isabella, I much prefer Isobel. It looks more round and full. Isabella seems almost cluttered, like it's balance of letters is off.Taking into consideration other spellings of Isobel, I like Isabel too.

This message was edited 7/25/2012, 2:28 PM

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Isobel, absolutelyIsabella is overused and ostentatious; Isobel is fresh and pared down. I do love Isabella as an unexpected middle name, though (e.g. Margaret Isabella, Catherine Isabella, Dorothy Isabella, etc.).

This message was edited 7/25/2012, 2:21 PM

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Ditto on Isabella working better as an unexpected mn. It ends a combo with a flourish.
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I prefer Isabella.Isobel, by the way, makes me want to pronounce the o as a long o. Iz-oh-bell.
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IsobelIt looks much cleaner and mature. Isabella is too frilly for me, even though it has lots of medieval associations.
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I agree totally!
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Definitely Isobel. Isabella is too frilly for me.
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Isobel.
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Isabella because it leads more directly to the nickname Bella which is what I'd always call her. I don't really do like Isobel but I like Belle and Isabelle nn Belle. Just not as much as Bella. Oh and I don't like Izzy or Isa. Most Isabels and Isabellas I've known went by Izzy.
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Isobel, definitely. I'm surprised that with Isabella's surge in popularity, Isobel still hasn't entered the Top 1000 in the states, so it would still be unique. Speaking of "unique," a GP of mine is the spelling Izabelle.I've also recently discovered the Medieval Spanish form, Ysabel, which just looks cool. It also has a history, rather than just someone being "kre8yve."
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I prefer Isobel (or Isabel). I would probably use Isabel because no one would spell Isobel correctly.
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I prefer Isobel, or Isabel.
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Isobel.But I prefer Isabel.
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