NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Arabel

A feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps combining elements meaning "prayer" and "noble".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2016. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Arabel is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Arabel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2016 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5785, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 6 births.

This profile covers 19 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 2008 to 2016. 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.

The latest count is about 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 19 living people in the UK are called Arabel. 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 2017 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Arabel ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales in 2016, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2015, when 6 girls were registered as Arabel.
  • About 19 living people in the UK are estimated to have Arabel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5785

2016

Births in 2016

3

Latest year

Peak year

2015

6 births

Estimated living

19

2026

Meaning

What does Arabel mean?

The name Arabel originated from the Old French language and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is a combination of the Germanic elements "ari," meaning "eagle," and "bald," meaning "bold" or "brave." Arabel was initially used as a feminine form of the masculine name Arimbald or Aribald.

During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Arabel gained popularity among the French nobility. It was often bestowed upon daughters from aristocratic families, reflecting their noble lineage and the admirable qualities associated with the name's meaning.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arabel can be found in the 12th-century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose" (The Romance of the Rose), where a character bears this name. This literary reference suggests that the name was in use during the High Middle Ages.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Arabel. One of the earliest recorded examples is Arabel de Lairière (c. 1170 - c. 1240), a French noblewoman and heiress from the Champagne region. Another prominent figure was Arabel de Semur (c. 1210 - c. 1280), a French countess and the wife of Count Robert IV of Auvergne.

In the 14th century, Arabel de Baux (c. 1320 - c. 1390) was a French noblewoman and the Countess of Avellino in the Kingdom of Naples. During the same period, Arabel de Mauléon (c. 1330 - c. 1400) was a French noblewoman and the Lady of Mauléon in Gascony.

In more recent times, Arabel Lebrusan (1856 - 1928) was a Spanish writer and educator who advocated for women's rights and education. She was a notable figure in the feminist movement in Spain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

While the name Arabel has its origins in Old French and was prominent among the European nobility during the Middle Ages, it has since spread to other parts of the world and continues to be used, albeit less commonly, in various cultures and languages.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Arabel over time

The chart below shows babies named Arabel registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2008 to 2016. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Arabel, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2016, compared with 6 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Arabel
02356200820122016

Decades

Arabel by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Arabel 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
2010s #5265 15 4
2000s #4524 4 1

Related

Names similar to Arabel

FAQ

Arabel: questions and answers

How popular is the name Arabel in the UK right now?

In 2016, Arabel was ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Arabel most popular?

The peak year on record was 2015, with 6 babies registered as Arabel in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Arabel?

A feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps combining elements meaning "prayer" and "noble".

How many people are called Arabel in the UK?

A total of 19 babies have been registered as Arabel across the 5 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.