Arabella / Isabella?

[KiteRunner]

Has anybody come across Arabella and Isabella being used as variants of each other?

My 5 x great-grandmother is Isabella on everything I've seen - her marriage, baptisms of her children, burial and her will. Her oldest daughter (as far as I know) was baptised Arabella, according to the IGI - well, I know, it could just be a mistranscription but it does give mother's name as Isabella - and then Isabella's granddaughter Charlotte has a daughter named Arabella Davi(e)s Law. Davies was Isabella's surname from her second marriage, after the marriage to Charlotte's grandfather, so it looks pretty likely that Arabella was named after Isabella. Then on the 1841 census Arabella Davies Law is called Isabella! I've only come across Isabella being used as a variant of Elizabeth before.

So does this mean that my Isabella unknown may have been baptised Arabella as well? I've had no luck finding her as Isabella so far, lol.

[Phoenix]

My Millys were baptised Amelia or Millicent on the whim of the vicar. I reckon that your ladies were always called Bella.
I suspect that one of my ancestors was known as Lou. She was christened Louisa, but Granny was christened Lucy.

[Christine in Herts]

I think you'll have to get sight of the parish register (or image/fiche/film) to be confident. There's too much potential for mistranscription.

But there's also the possibility of having two names and not being consistent about which one is used; or of acquiring an extra name later in life.

I think you'll have to collect up info on the names where they appear and see if they converge convincingly - much as you are doing. Hopefully, some snippet will make it all drop into place.

Christine