girl's name
Mabel
MAY-bəl
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 154,083
the United States
#201
2025 births
Mabel is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "lovable." It is a contraction of the medieval Amabel, from the Latin amabilis, and reached English with the Normans before nearly disappearing and returning in the last twenty years.
- Mabel is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1915, when 3,696 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival in US records.
- Today about 1 in 345 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mabel over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Mabel is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. 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 | 13,127 |
| 1890s | 22,046 |
| 1900s | 21,728 |
| 1910s | 30,890 |
| 1920s | 24,591 |
| 1930s | 8,837 |
| 1940s | 4,025 |
| 1950s | 1,836 |
| 1960s | 1,053 |
| 1970s | 690 |
| 1980s | 779 |
| 1990s | 694 |
| 2000s | 1,073 |
| 2010s | 4,710 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,614 |
What Mabel means
Mabel means lovable or worthy of love, from the Latin amabilis. The initial a of Amabel was lost early, which is why the connection to amare, to love, is no longer obvious.
Where Mabel comes from
Mabel contracts Amabel, from the Latin amabilis, lovable, built on amare, to love. The Normans brought Amabel to England, where medieval speakers wore it down to Mabel — the same process that turned Emmeline into Emmy and Isabel into Ib. By the seventeenth century Mabel was so far removed from its source that it was often pronounced to rhyme with rabble, and it took a nineteenth-century medievalist revival, particularly Charlotte Yonge's 1854 novel The Heir of Redclyffe, to restore both the name and its long-a pronunciation.
Mabel in use
Our data marks Mabel as reviving, with a peak in 1915 followed by decades of decline and a recent return that has carried it to 16 in England and Wales. The name spent roughly sixty years out of common use — a full gap between generations, which is usually what a revival needs.
How popular is Mabel?
In 2025, Mabel was given to 1,527 babies in England and Wales, ranking #16 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Mabel is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Mabel
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mabel also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mabel over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Mabel
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.
Mabel 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 Mabel
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mabel — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mabel
What does the name Mabel mean?
Mabel means "lovable," from the Latin amabilis by way of the medieval name Amabel.
Is Mabel short for Amabel?
It is a contraction of it. Medieval English speakers dropped the initial a, and Mabel became the standard form.
Is Mabel coming back?
Our data marks it as reviving. It peaked in 1915, faded for around sixty years, and is now inside the England and Wales top twenty.
How popular is the name Mabel?
In 2025, Mabel was given to 1,527 babies in England and Wales, ranking #16 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Mabel a girl's or a boy's name?
Mabel is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mabel?
Mabel has 2 syllables.
When was Mabel most popular?
Mabel peaked in 1915, when 3,696 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Mabel?
Mabel is usually shortened to May, Mae, Belle and Maé.
Is Mabel a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mabel currently ranks #16 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.