The baby name Mabel was a white hot favorite in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After a long hibernation, Mabel is back.
Thanks to Nessa for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME MABEL MEAN?
Parents like their children’s names to have great meanings, and Mabel delivers. It comes from the Latin amabilis, meaning lovable.
You might also hear the meaning “my beauty,” but that’s pure folk etymology. In French, ma belle translates to my beauty or my pretty. It’s not the source of the name – though it doesn’t hurt, either, and Mae or Belle would make a great nickname.
Two French saints answered to Amabilis – one male, one female. The fifth century male priest also answered to Amable; the seventh century nun is often called just Mable.
Over the years, the name shortened to Amabel and then dropped the A entirely. It appears in lists of Anglo-Norman names, like this one. Mabile and Mabilia were in use, too.
CHARLOTTE M. YONGE’S MABEL
Many medieval names fell out of use as time passed, including Amabel in all forms.
They were just waiting for revival, and many of them were rediscovered.
19th century author Charlotte M. Yonge penned an astonishing 160 works during her lifetime, most of them novels and many of them romances. Yonge isn’t a household name today, but in her era she outpaced even Charles Dickens. 1853’s The Heir of Redclyffe would become her first bestseller.
The novel focused on two sisters, Amabel and Laura. Amabel answered to Amy. There’s also a minor character called Mabel.
The name’s revival seems to trace back to this successful story.
MOTHERS ALWAYS BRING EXTRA LOVE
90s sitcom Mad About You starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as newlyweds Paul and Jamie Buchman. Towards the end of the series’ seven-season run, they became parents to a daughter. Their banter included trading baby name lists.
After considering mainstream favorites like Julia and Lily, the couple finally settled on an acronym name: Mothers Always Bring Extra Love.
When the couple announced her name, their friends and family are more than a little surprised at the old-school choice.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME MABEL?
The US Social Security Administration reports data on given names reaching back to the year 1880.
From 1880 through 1922, Mabel ranks in the Top 100 baby girl names each year.
It fell steadily in the 1930s and 40s, exiting the Top 1000 during the 1960s.
When Mad About You introduced Little Miss Mothers Always Bring Extra Love in 1997? The baby name Mabel was given to a mere 42girls that year.
It marked an all-time low.
While the television call-out didn’t return Mabel to the most popular names, it did help shift Mabel’s direction. My 1999, 90 girls were named Mabel.
Not until 2013 did Mabel return to the US Top 1000. It climbed steadily, year after year.
As of 2023, it stands at a very respectable #278.
What helped fuel Mabel’s comeback?
21st CENTURY REVIVAL
Besides the television character, Mabel never really want away. There’s also:
- Silent movie star Mabel Normand.
- A princess in the Dutch royal family, Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau.
- The comic strip matriarch from the long-running Motley’s Crew.
- A dog from BBC children’s show Blue Peter.
None of those references get credit for Mabel’s revival. Instead, it’s likely down to sound:
- We love the long A sound, and so many Mae names.
- In an age of Isabelle and Hazel, Mabel fits right in.
Time helps, too. Names from the 1880s have had plenty of decades to peak, drop, hibernate, and make a comeback.
Celebrity parents embraced Mabel, including Chad Lowe, Bruce Willis, and Russell Brand.
But ultimately, it’s television again that gets credit for driving this name up the charts:
- In 2012, Disney XD gave us successful animated mystery series Gravity Falls, focused on siblings Dipper and Mabel Pines.
- Mad About You enjoyed a brief 2019 reboot, featuring Mabel as a rising college freshman.
- In 2021, the world met Mabel Mora, of Only Murders in the Building.
It was steady, positive encouragement for parents looking for the perfect name. Familiar, bright and strong, easy to spell and pronounce. There are so many reasons to love the baby name Mabel.
What do you think of Mabel?
This post was published on December 19, 2008. It was substantially revised on November 10, 2016 and February 18, 2025.
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We’ve just named our daughter Mabel nn Billie. I think she’ll be known as Billie but we felt we needed a more substantial name which will give her another option when she’s older. We didn’t like any of the ‘W’ names. But we love Mabel!!
Oh, LOVE Mabel/Billie – what a great idea. Congrats on your new daughter!
My little sister watches the Disney XD show Gravity Falls, which features a 12-year-old main character named Mabel, who is known for her optimism and enthusiasm. The show has done well with children and adults alike, which may help the name seem more youthful and vibrant.
Part of my fascination with names is rooted in having a rather useless and intrusive form of synesthesia. Mabel is very weird for me because it’s one of the only words where the way it looks written down is completely different to the way it affects me said out loud. Written down it’s powder pink and sky blue with a red stripe, smells like a puff of this ‘impulse’ body spray called True Love. ..when I actually hear it, I taste little pieces of limestone jostling in my mouth, with salt on them. Don’t know why. Sometimes when people discuss it too much the writren and spoken version blur together and it tastes super weird.
I’ve been a fan of Mabel since I read “The Adventures of Mabel” by Harry Thurston Peck as a child. I’m committed to only using family names for my children so Mabel is off the table (when a few hundred other lovely names that I would otherwise consider) but it will always be special to me.