Isadora

Greek
"gift of Isis"

Isadora Origin and Meaning

The name Isadora is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "gift of Isis".

For a long time, Isadora has been overlooked in favor of Isabella, owing perhaps to its association with the tragic modern dancer, Isadora Duncan, or because parents would rather their daughter be a Bella than a Dora. Now, with Theodora back in the charts and vintage names in vogue, Isadora has been slowly gaining more attention over the last decade.

Derived from Greek, Isadora is the feminine form of Isidore, comprised of the elements Isis, the Egyptian goddess of the sky and nature, and doron meaning "gift". Isidora is an alternative but equally well-established spelling, used by a fourth century saint.

Quirky couple singer Bjork and artist Matthew Barney were ahead of the trends when they named their daughter Isadora back in 2002, while fictional Isadoras include Isadora Wing, the liberated central character of Erica Jong's 1973 bestseller Fear of Flying, Isadora Quagmire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the half-fairy-half-vampire titular character of Harriet Muncaster's series, Isadora Moon.

Given to around 150 girls in the US in a recent year, an Isadora could have the popular nickname Izzy, though Dora, Rory, Sadie, and Isa might be alternatives.

# 992 in the US

Isadora Rank in US Top 1000

# 182 on Nameberry

Isadora Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Isadora Popularity

Famous People Named Isadora

  • (Angela) Isadora Duncan
    American modern dancer
  • Isadora Marie Williams
    American,Brazilian figure skater
  • Isadora Cerullo
    Brazilian rugby sevens player
  • Isadora Loyola
    Brazilian ballerina
  • Isadora Bennett
    American dance publicist
  • Isadora Pompeo
    Brazilian vlogger and singer
  • Isadora Ribeiro de Sousa
    Brazilian actress
  • Isadora Bjarkardottir Barney (b. 2002)
    daughter of Matthew Barney and Björk Guðmundsdottir

Isadora in Pop Culture

  • Isadora Zelda White Stollerman Wing
    main character in Erica Jong's "Fear of Flying"
  • Isadora Duarte Toledo de Montalvo
    character in Mexican telenovela "Destilando Amor"