UK girl's name
Arabelle
A feminine name of French origin meaning "altar prayer".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Arabelle is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Arabelle popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2411, with 11 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 23 births.
This profile covers 218 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 2001 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 48% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 224 living people in the UK are called Arabelle. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Arabelle ranked #2411 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 11 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2020, when 23 girls were registered as Arabelle.
- • Arabelle ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2024.
- • About 224 living people in the UK are estimated to have Arabelle as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2411
2024
Births in 2024
11
Latest year
Peak year
2020
23 births
Estimated living
224
2026
Meaning
What does Arabelle mean?
The name Arabelle finds its origins in the French language and culture, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 17th century. It is derived from the Latin word "arabilis," which means "admirable" or "praiseworthy." The name is a combination of the French prefix "ara," meaning "altar" or "prayer," and the suffix "belle," meaning "beautiful."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arabelle can be found in the 1685 French novel "La Princesse de Clèves" by Madame de La Fayette, where a minor character bears this name. However, it is unclear whether the author coined the name or if it was already in use at the time.
In the 18th century, Arabelle gained popularity among the French aristocracy, with several notable figures bearing the name. One such individual was Arabelle de Rohan (1701-1768), a French noblewoman and courtier during the reign of Louis XV.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way into literature and historical records. The English author Samuel Richardson used the name Arabelle for a character in his 1748 novel "Clarissa, or, The History of a Young Lady." Additionally, Arabelle Mansfield (1834-1914) was an American educator and activist who played a significant role in the establishment of women's colleges in the United States.
In the 20th century, the name Arabelle experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in the United States. Notable bearers of the name include Arabelle Huntington (1850-1924), an American philanthropist and art collector, and Arabelle Bianca Jasper (1930-2015), a British actress and dancer who appeared in several films and television shows.
Another prominent figure with the name Arabelle was Arabelle Pye (1876-1957), an Australian artist and educator known for her landscape paintings and contributions to the development of art education in Victoria.
While the name Arabelle has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has maintained a charming and distinctive quality, often associated with elegance, grace, and admiration.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Arabelle over time
The chart below shows babies named Arabelle registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2001 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Arabelle, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 11 births in 2024, compared with 23 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arabelle by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Arabelle 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 | #1892 | 78 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2193 | 130 | 10 |
| 2000s | #4363 | 10 | 3 |
Geography
Where Arabelle is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Arabelle. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Arabelle ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2024.
Across the UK
Arabelle in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#638 in 2024
2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered
Related
Names similar to Arabelle
- 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
Arabelle: questions and answers
How popular is the name Arabelle in the UK right now?
In 2024, Arabelle was ranked #2411 for girls in England and Wales, with 11 births registered.
When was Arabelle most popular?
The peak year on record was 2020, with 23 babies registered as Arabelle in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Arabelle?
A feminine name of French origin meaning "altar prayer".
How many people are called Arabelle in the UK?
A total of 218 babies have been registered as Arabelle across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland.
Where is Arabelle most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Arabelle ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #638 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.