Isidor

Meaning of Isidor

Isidor, a masculine given name ultimately traceable to the Hellenistic Greek Isídōros (Ἰσίδωρος) meaning “gift of Isis” (Isis, the venerated Egyptian goddess, + dōron, “gift”), entered the Christian name stock through several notable bearers, most prominently the encyclopedic seventh-century scholar-bishop Isidore of Seville and the eleventh-century patron of agricultural workers, St. Isidore the Farmer. Carried westward by Latin Christendom, the name settled into various linguistic niches—the Russian ee-SEE-dor and the German ee-zee-DOHR being the best-attested modern pronunciations—while its vowel-final cousin Isidore gained limited currency in English. In the United States, Social Security data reveal a modest crest between the 1880s and the inter-war years, followed by a steady retreat to today’s single-digit annual usages, positioning Isidor well outside the mainstream but not wholly extinct. Its etymological promise of a divinely conferred “gift,” reinforced by associations with scholarship, husbandry, and ecclesiastical learning, lends the name a quiet gravitas that may appeal to parents who value classical depth and historical continuity over contemporary fashion.