How to say it
MA · bel
/ˈmeɪ.bəl/
Feminine
Mabel
Lovable
What it means
From the medieval Latin amabilis ('lovable, beloved'), shortened to Mabel. Top-50 name in late-19th-century US, then dropped sharply through the mid-20th, now climbing again as part of the vintage-revival wave.
Mabel comes from the medieval Latin amabilis ('lovable, beloved'), the same root as English 'amiable.' The full form Amabel was the medieval English given name, with Mabel as its short form; over time the short replaced the long. Mabel peaked in the late-19th-century US (it was a top-50 name around 1890), then dropped through the mid-20th century as it acquired a granny-name association. The Gravity Falls (2012-2016) character Mabel Pines gave the name decisive Gen-Z anchor. It's been climbing the US charts since 2014 with the broader vintage-name revival. May and Mae are the common shorts.
Popularity over time
peaked at #15 in 1891, currently #201 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
- Pop culture
Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls (2012-2016) is the dominant Gen-Z anchor; the historical Mabels are all 19th-century.
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.
- Mabel Pines Disney's Gravity Falls, the optimistic twin who runs on glitter and grappling hooks
Spelling variants
- Mabelle
- Maybell
Names with the same feeling
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By style