ISABEL CHATELOIN

Originally a Spanish version of Elizabeth, which was coined by deletion of the first syllable and alteration of the final consonant sound to one that can normally end a word in Spanish. The name was imported into France in the early Middle Ages, and thence into England. It was a royal name, and its enduring popularity may have been enhanced by the fact that it was borne by a queen of England—Isabella (1296–1358), daughter of Philip IV of France—even though she led a turbulent life and eventually had her husband, Edward II, murdered.