Mabel

Amabilis appears in medieval Latin hagiographic literature, including as the name of a 5th century Gaulish saint venerated at Riom in Auvergne, whose feast day falls on October 19.

In medieval England the name contracted to Mabel and Mabilia, and it was common enough in the 12th and 13th centuries to appear in Domesday Book and subsequent royal records.

1 notable early bearer was Mabel of Bellême, the 11th century Norman countess known for her ruthless political machinations in France and England.

By the 16th century Mabel had fallen out of fashion and was considered archaic or rustic, but it experienced a dramatic Victorian revival triggered by Charlotte Mary Yonge’s novel The Heir of Redclyffe (1853) and other historical romances of the

period that evoked medieval settings.

The name reached peak popularity in both the United Kingdom and the United States between 1880 and 1920.

According to U.S. Social Security Administration records, Mabel ranked as high as number 17 for girls in 1891, then declined steadily through the 20th century and dropped out of the top 1000 entirely between 1961 and 2014.

It has since returned, part of the vintage revival that also lifted Ada, Ivy, Hazel, and Pearl. The name also holds strong currency in the United Kingdom, where it returned to the top 100 by 2020.

Notable bearers include American silent film actress Mabel Normand (1892-1930), a pioneering comedic performer, and the character Mabel Pines from the Disney animated series Gravity Falls (2012-2016).