UK girl's name
Anabela
Of Portuguese origin meaning "blossoming beauty" or "beautiful flower".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Anabela is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Anabela popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2504, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 10 births.
This profile covers 69 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 2006 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Anabela is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 69 living people in the UK are called Anabela. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Anabela ranked #2504 for girls in England and Wales in 2023, with 10 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2023, when 10 girls were registered as Anabela.
- • About 69 living people in the UK are estimated to have Anabela as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2504
2023
Births in 2023
10
Latest year
Peak year
2023
10 births
Estimated living
69
2026
Meaning
What does Anabela mean?
The name Anabela is a feminine given name of Portuguese origin. It is a compound name, derived from the Greek prefix "ana" meaning "again" or "back", and the Latin word "bella" meaning "beautiful". The name essentially translates to "beautiful again" or "renewed beauty".
In Portuguese culture, the name Anabela gained popularity during the late medieval period, around the 15th century. It was often bestowed upon daughters born after a period of struggle or hardship, symbolizing the renewal of hope and the return of beauty and joy into the family's life.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Anabela can be found in the historical records of the Portuguese royal court during the reign of King Afonso V (1432-1481). Anabela de Sousa, born in 1456, was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Isabella of Portugal and is mentioned in several court documents from that era.
During the Age of Discovery, as Portuguese explorers ventured across the seas, the name Anabela traveled with them. Anabela Fernandes (1510-1575) was a pioneering woman who accompanied her husband, a navigator, on several voyages to the Americas and played a crucial role in establishing early Portuguese settlements in Brazil.
In the realm of literature, the name Anabela gained prominence with the publication of the famous 19th-century Portuguese novel "Os Maias" by Eça de Queirós. One of the central characters, Anabela Teodora dos Reis, embodied the virtues of beauty, grace, and resilience, contributing to the name's enduring popularity.
Anabela Milhazes (born 1957) is a renowned contemporary Brazilian artist known for her vibrant and colorful abstract paintings, which often incorporate elements of Portuguese and Brazilian cultural motifs. Her work has been exhibited globally and is celebrated for its unique fusion of traditional and modern styles.
Another notable figure is Anabela Rodrigues (born 1959), a Portuguese singer-songwriter and actress who has had a prolific career spanning over four decades. She has released numerous albums and has starred in several Portuguese films and television series, becoming a cultural icon in her home country.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Anabela over time
The chart below shows babies named Anabela registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Anabela, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2023, compared with 10 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Anabela by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Anabela was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3307 | 21 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4532 | 41 | 9 |
| 2000s | #4851 | 7 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Anabela
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Anabela: questions and answers
How popular is the name Anabela in the UK right now?
In 2023, Anabela was ranked #2504 for girls in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.
When was Anabela most popular?
The peak year on record was 2023, with 10 babies registered as Anabela in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Anabela?
Of Portuguese origin meaning "blossoming beauty" or "beautiful flower".
How many people are called Anabela in the UK?
A total of 69 babies have been registered as Anabela across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.