From Greek 'Isidoros' meaning 'gift of Isis,' referencing the Egyptian goddess.
Isidor — along with its variants Isidore, Isidoro, and Isidro — descends from the Greek *Isidoros*, a compound of *Isis* (the Egyptian goddess of wisdom and magic) and *doron* (gift), yielding the meaning 'gift of Isis.' The name's Greek-Egyptian fusion speaks to the cosmopolitan world of the Hellenistic Mediterranean, where Egyptian religious cults spread widely and mingled freely with Greek nomenclature. Early Christians, comfortable with the name's pagan root since the gift ultimately came from a divine source, adopted it readily.
Saint Isidore of Seville (c. 560–636) gave the name its greatest cultural monument: his *Etymologiae*, a twenty-volume encyclopedia attempting to preserve the whole of classical knowledge, earned him the informal title of the last scholar of the ancient world. He is now recognized as the patron saint of the internet — a charming anachronism.
The name also appears prominently in Jewish history: Isidor Straus, co-owner of Macy's department store, perished heroically with his wife Ida aboard the Titanic in 1912, refusing a lifeboat so other passengers could be saved. Isidor was a common name among Ashkenazi Jewish families in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries — often shortened to Izzy — and carries that warm, dense cultural heritage. It has aged into genuine rarity while retaining unmistakable character, and the resurgence of interest in serious, heavyweight vintage names positions it well for quiet revival.