Arabella Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, and More

Arabella Meaning and Origin

This romantic and poetic name sounds a lot more delicate than Annabella and shares commonalities with other current top names while offering a unique and timeless alternative for parents looking to give their little girl a name that will help her stand out from the crowd. Arabella is a feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning “yielding to prayer” or “prayerful”. It is a variant of the name Annabel, which is a combination of the names Anna and Belle. The earliest known use of the name was the modern-day Jordanian city of Irbid, known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela. The name first appeared in Scotland and England after the 1600s however, Orabella, Orabel, and Arabel were in use from the 13th century in Scotland. Arabella may come from Orabel, derived from Latin orabilis, meaning: ”to pray, prayer”. Other theories suggest that Arabella, like Annabel, is a Scottish equivalent of Amabel, from Latin amabilis (lovable). Arabella was fairly popular in Georgian and Victorian Britain but declined in the late 1800s, seeing a resurgence again in the 1990s, reaching #95 in England in 2015. Famous bearer: Arabella Mansfield (1846-1911), the first female to pass a United States bar examination, Arabella Churchill, an English mistress of King James II of England, and Arabella Weir, a Scottish actress and comedian. In recent years, the name Arabella has gained popularity in the United States, particularly among parents who are looking for unique and elegant names for their daughters. Cute nickname ideas include Bella, Ara, and Belle.

Names similar to Arabella:

Isabella

Seraphina

Gabriella

Juliana

Rosalind

Viviana

Celeste

Lavinia

Alessandra

Genevieve

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