How to say it
ar · a · BEL · la
/ˌær.əˈbɛl.ə/
Feminine
Arabella
Yielding to prayer
What it means
Medieval Latin Arabella, possibly from orabilis ('yielding to prayer'). The aristocratic English name with the Strauss opera (1933) anchor and the modern Bridgerton-era surge.
Arabella is a medieval Latin name with disputed etymology; the most common gloss is from orabilis ('yielding to prayer' or 'easily entreated'). Alternative theories link it to Annabella or to the Latin ara ('altar') + bella ('beautiful'). The name has been used in English aristocratic circles since the medieval period (Arabella Stuart was a cousin of James I, considered as an alternate heir). Richard Strauss's last opera Arabella (1933) gave the name 20th-century cultural anchor. The first-name surge in the US is recent: rare before 2005, then climbing fast with the broader vintage-revival wave. Bella is the universal short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #156 in 2017, currently #213 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Bella and Belle are the standard shorts; Ari and Ara also circulate.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Arabella Stuart 17th-century English noblewoman, considered as an alternate heir to Elizabeth I
- Arabella (Strauss opera) Richard Strauss's 1933 opera, his final collaboration with Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Spelling variants
- Arabelle
- Annabella
Names with the same feeling
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