Belle and Bella Names
Updated Sun Mar 10 2024
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Isabella has been a Top Ten girl name for over a decade thanks to its romantic femininity and multicultural appeal. It has inspired the rise of many other names ending in bel, belle, and bella, including Belle and Bella themselves.
Along with Isabella and Belle, other Belle and Bella names in the US Top 1000 include Isabelle, Isabel, Annabelle, Arabella, Izabella, Mabel, Bellamy, and Isabela. Rare but fashionable Belle names include Rosabel, Sabella, Mirabel, and Amabella. If you’re looking for a lilting girl name with a wealth of nickname potential, a Belle or Bella name could be the perfect fit. Here, a roundup of the Belles of the Ball among girls' names, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Mabel
Origin:
Diminutive of Amabel, LatinMeaning:
"lovable"Description:
Mabel is a saucy Victorian favorite rising in popularity in the US over the past decade, after a 50-year nap If you love offbeat old-fashioned names like Violet or Josephine, only sassier, Mabel is one for you to consider.
- Isabella
Origin:
Spanish and Italian variation of Elizabeth, HebrewMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Isabella has been a Top 10 name for girls in the US for two decades now. The Latinate form of Isabel, a variation of Elizabeth which originally derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba, Isabella reigned as Number 1 in 2009 and 2010.
- Arabella
Origin:
Latin, ScottishMeaning:
"yielding to prayer; lovable"Description:
Arabella, lovely and elegant, has long been well used in Britain and finally made it onto the American list in 2005. A Top 50 choice in the UK, in the US in remains in the Top 300, given to around 1300 babies each year.
- Isabel
Origin:
Spanish variation of ElizabethMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Isabel derived from Elizabeth in southwest Europe during the Middle Ages. It was originally written as Elisabel, but the first syllable was dropped as it spread across the continent. In Spain and Portugal, Isabel and Elizabeth are considered to be variations of the same name, but they are treated as separate names in other European countries and the US.
- Isabelle
Origin:
French variation of IsabelMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Isabelle is the French variation of Isabel, which emerged in the Middle ages as an Occitan form of Elizabeth. Medieval queens Isabella of Angoulême and Isabella of France helped popularize the name in the United Kingdom. Isobel is the Scottish version, Isabella the Italian, and Izabel is used in Brazil.
- Belle
Origin:
Short form of Isabelle or FrenchMeaning:
"beautiful"Description:
Belle has nothing but positive associations, from "belle of the ball" to "Southern belle" to the heroine of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As if this weren't enough good things, Belle is also one of the most familiar and usable names that mean beautiful. Though it has been overshadowed by the Twilight-influenced Bella and longer forms like Isabella and Annabella, Belle has its own Southern charm and would make a pretty choice as a first or middle name.
- Annabelle
Origin:
Combination of Anna and Belle or French form of AmabelMeaning:
"loving"Description:
This is a charming name that rose steeply along with other-belle names, such as Isabelle, until the horror film Annabelle and its sequels knocked it out of favor. Made famous by the Edgar Allen Poe poem Annabel Lee. Annabelle is saucy and stylish, a tad upscale, has a sense of humor, is melodious and lively, but is unfortunately off its peak.
- Bella
Origin:
Diminutive of Isabella, ItalianMeaning:
"beautiful"Description:
Everything ella, from Ella to Bella to Arabella, is red hot right now. Bella is one of the most, well, beautiful girl names starting with B. It carried a hint of a nice Old World grandmotherly veneer, until it became attached to Twilight's Bella Swan.
- Jezebel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"not exalted"Description:
Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab in the Hebrew Book of Kings, has long had a bad girl reputation. But in the modern secular world, this is somewhat mitigated by the feminist perspective of her as a strong woman, the power behind the throne. Previously avoided as a baby name, Jezebel is now, along with the also previously avoided Delilah and Desiree, coming into use, helped by its relation to other 'bel' name such as Isabel and Bella.
- Isobel
Origin:
Scottish variation of IsabelMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
The Scottish spelling of Isabel has a definite character of her own, the 'o' giving her an extra infusion of strength but also an element of confusion. How do you pronounce that? Answer: Exactly like Isabel or Isabelle.
- Mirabel
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"wonderful"Description:
Mirabel is one of those names that's not on the Top 1000 but ought to be, and undoubtedly will be soon following the release of Disney's 2021 Encanto. Mirabel is the film's quirky and highly relatable heroine. Mirabel had a significant rise in 2022, going from 34 births in 2021 to 153 births in 2022. Read more about Mirabel and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
- Amabel
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"lovable"Description:
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.
- Annabel
Origin:
Scottish variation of AmabelMeaning:
"loving"Description:
Annabel is a spirited name that embodies quirky British gentility. Appearing in Scotland as early as the twelfth century, where it was a royal name, it also recalls the romantic Edgar Allan Poe poem Annabel Lee, written upon the death of his young wife, Virginia.
- Bluebell
Origin:
Flower name from EnglishMeaning:
"blue bell"Description:
Bluebell is one flower name that is used very quietly. Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell joined her former Spice Sisters in creative baby-naming with this adventurous -- some might say outlandish -- choice. Distinctive and charming? Or better suited to a farmyard animal? Your call.
- Maribel
Origin:
English combination of Mary and BelMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + beautiful"Description:
This modern name gathers some steam from the wildly popular Isabel.
- Cybele
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"the mother of all gods"Description:
The Anatolian mother goddess Cybele had a place in Greek, Roman, Trojan, and Anatolian mythology. Today, she has special meaning as a symbol of gender nonconformity.
- Mirabella
Origin:
Italian variation of MirabelleMeaning:
"wonderful"Description:
The short-lived magazine edited by former Vogue chief Grace Mirabella put this beautiful name off-limits for a while, but now it's perfectly fit to join the fashionable Bella pantheon. More distinctive than Isabella.
- Annabella
Origin:
Latin variation of AnnabelMeaning:
"loving"Description:
With the ascent of all names -ella, and even -bella, we predict that Annabella will rise as an alternative for such favorites as Isabella and Angelina. It's possible to spell the name Anabella. Annabel -- along with Anabel, Annabelle, Anabelle, and Annabell -- are potential alternatives.
- Maybelle
Origin:
Variation of Mabel; combination of May and Belle; "loveable"Meaning:
"loveable"Description:
This spelling variation of Mabel clears up the pronunciation — "may-belle", as opposed to "may-bull". Maybelle is packed with Southern charm, and like sister name Mabel is on the rise, but still on a much smaller scale.
- Rebel
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"rebel"Description:
Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is a hilarious Australian actress who puts a female spin on this contemporary badass baby name. Still, we think this name is truly gender neutral – though hardly neutral in any other way. Rebel is undoubtedly one of the edgiest girls' names starting with the letter R.