girl's name
Annabelle
AN-a-bel
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 112,635
the United States
#344
2025 births
Annabelle is a girl's name of disputed origin. It is read as Anna plus the Latin bella, "lovable Anna," and separately as a Scottish reshaping of Amabel — and the record does not settle which came first.
- Annabelle is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 4,363 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,721 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Annabelle over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 187 |
| 1890s | 414 |
| 1900s | 811 |
| 1910s | 3,390 |
| 1920s | 5,890 |
| 1930s | 2,865 |
| 1940s | 1,325 |
| 1950s | 587 |
| 1960s | 616 |
| 1970s | 561 |
| 1980s | 579 |
| 1990s | 2,017 |
| 2000s | 13,184 |
| 2010s | 28,956 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,171 |
What Annabelle means
Annabelle is usually given as lovable or loving, from the Latin amabilis. Read as Anna plus belle it means grace and beauty instead, which is a later reinterpretation of a name that already existed.
Where Annabelle comes from
Annabelle first appears in medieval Scotland as Annabel, and its origin is genuinely argued. The likeliest account makes it a variant of Amabel, from the Latin amabilis, lovable — the same root behind Mabel. A competing reading treats it as a compound of Anna, grace, with the French belle, beautiful, which is how most modern parents understand it but which appears to be a folk etymology attached afterwards. Annabel Drummond, mother of James I of Scotland, is an early bearer, and the name has stayed strongly associated with Scotland ever since.
Annabelle in use
Our data shows Annabelle falling rather than rising, peaking in 2014, at 149 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880. It shares its uncertainty with Arabella — both first appear in medieval Scotland, and both may be reshapings of an older name rather than compounds.
How popular is Annabelle?
In 2025, Annabelle was given to 891 babies in the United States, ranking #344 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Annabelle is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Annabelle is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Anna-Belle | Anna-Belle is Annabelle written with a hyphen, recorded mostly in Canada. | 122 |
Names that peaked alongside Annabelle
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Annabelle also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Annabelle over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Annabelle
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Annabelle in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Annabelle
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Annabelle — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Annabelle
What does the name Annabelle mean?
Most likely "lovable," from the Latin amabilis — though it is widely read as Anna plus belle, grace and beauty.
Is Annabelle related to Mabel?
Possibly. Both may descend from Amabel, from the Latin amabilis, lovable.
Is Annabelle a Scottish name?
It first appears in medieval Scotland, and Annabel Drummond, mother of James I of Scotland, is an early bearer.
How popular is the name Annabelle?
In 2025, Annabelle was given to 891 babies in the United States, ranking #344 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Annabelle a girl's or a boy's name?
Annabelle is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Annabelle?
Annabelle has 3 syllables.
When was Annabelle most popular?
Annabelle peaked in 2014, when 4,363 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Annabelle?
Annabelle is usually shortened to Anna, Belle, Bella and Annie.
Is Annabelle a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Annabelle currently ranks #149 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.