Names That Mean Lovable

Mabel is cuddly Victorian favorite rising in popularity in the US, after a 50-year nap If you love offbeat old-fashioned names like Violet or Josephine, only sassier and bubblier, Mabel is one for you to consider. It is currently in the US Top 200 and the UK Top 50.

Amabel is an older name than Annabel and a lot more distinctive. Amabel was a very common name in the twelfth and thirteen centuries, then was revived during the nineteenth century British fad for medieval names.

Mabli is the sweet Welsh form of Mabel; like its English cousin, it’s starting to make a modest comeback in Wales as part of the trend for vintage baby names from a century ago.

The popular cosmetics brand Maybelline inspires at least a few baby girls' names each year. Company founder Thomas Lyle Williams created the name as a portmanteau of Mabel and Vaseline after watching his sister Mabel mix up a quasi-eyeshadow out of coal dust and Vaseline.

Amabella is an elaboration of Amabel, a popular medieval name. Neil Gaiman and Liane Moriarty used Amabella as a character name in their novels, The Graveyard Book and Big Little Lies, respectively.

Maybellene is the true one-of-a-kind baby name that Taylor and Natalie Hanson chose for their daughter in 2020. It's a variation of Maybelline, which is itself an elaboration of the name Mabel. The Maybellene spelling makes it one step removed from the cosmetics brand.

In the Middle Ages, Margaret became Margery, Cecilia became Cecily, and Amabel became Mabel ... and Mabely. Chaucer mentions the name briefly in The Canterbury Tales. It's rare - and maybe a shade too close to cosmetics company - Maybelline - but has some potential appeal for parents after something like Emily and Avery, but much less common.

Hilda with a stuffed nose.