Anabel
Anabel was the 4270th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 33 babies. Its best year was 1887, when it ranked 636th; the most babies were born in 2014 (297). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,859 places. More babies were named Anabel in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Annabelle) lovable (from Amabel); folk 'beautiful Anna' · Latin, Scottish, English
- Rank in 2025
- #4,270 girls, down 1,553 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 33girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2014297 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,815babies recorded
What does the name Anabel mean?
Anabel is a spelling of Annabelle, pronounced the same way, so it shares Annabelle's meaning and origin.
Annabelle is a spelling of Annabel, a Scottish name recorded since the 12th century. Wiktionary explains Annabel as a mishearing or misreading of Latin amabilis, "lovable", the same source as Amabel and Mabel; DMNES records Amabel in England from the late 12th century. The popular reading "beautiful Anna", from Anna plus French belle, is a folk etymology, though it has clearly shaped the modern -belle spelling.
amabilis (Latin, “lovable”)
How sure is this? Probable. The link to Amabel is the standard view; the name's early Scottish history is only partly documented.
Other explanations you may read: Anna + belle, 'beautiful Anna'.
Related names: Annabel, Amabel, Mabel, Anabel, Belle.
See also: Latin names, names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Annabelle', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Annabel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Amabel', DMNES, Durham University
Anabel popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 35 since 1982.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,270 | 33 |
| 2020 | #2,717 | 61 |
| 2010 | #950 | 270 |
| 2000 | #1,113 | 183 |
| 1990 | #747 | 277 |
| 1980 | #921 | 162 |
| 1970 | #2,162 | 37 |
| 1960 | #2,311 | 26 |
| 1950 | #3,432 | 10 |
| 1940 | #2,743 | 10 |
| 1930 | #1,879 | 19 |
| 1920 | #1,627 | 26 |
| 1910 | #1,269 | 13 |
| 1900 | #1,440 | 8 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Anabel, counting every spelling?
Anabel is a spelling of Annabelle, a name family that ranked #298 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,270 for Anabel on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,092 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annabelle | 891 | #343 | 4,849 |
| Annabel | 91 | #2,065 | 638 |
| Anabelle | 56 | #2,960 | 362 |
| Anabel | 33 | #4,270 | 210 |
| Annabell | 21 | #5,742 | 120 |
| Anabell | — | — | 30 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Anabel?
33 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Anabel (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Anabel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 253 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Anabel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Anabel?
About 8,700 people born in the US named Anabel are alive today, with a median age of 26; half are between 16 and 37. That makes Anabel mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Anabel by state
How common Anabel was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (2.0×). In 47 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Anabel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Anabel, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Anabel
What does Anabel mean?
Anabel is a spelling of Annabelle, which means “lovable (from Amabel); folk 'beautiful Anna'” (Latin, Scottish, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Anabel?
Anabel was the 4270th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 33 babies. Its best year was 1887, when it ranked 636th; the most babies were born in 2014 (297). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,859 places. More babies were named Anabel in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Anabel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Anabel in the US.
Where is Anabel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Anabel was most common in California (0.05 per 1,000 girls), followed by Florida and Pennsylvania.