Mabel itself is alright for me. I want to love it. The sound is adorable, and it makes me think of a lovely summer afternoon. But there's something of about it. Awhile ago I realized it was just the way it looks. It should be
Mable.
Mable looks just right to me, but since
Mable is kind of silly, I began to prefer Maple. But
Mable is still softer and not so quirky, so I dunno.
I went through a
Maybelle phase a year or two ago. I don't pronounce it the same as
Mabel, so they aren't really interchangeable.
Maybelle also has a Southern flair to it, and I love that it has the word maybe right in there.
I don't know any Mabels or variants thereof. I think it seems exactly the sort of name that should become more popular if the old-fashioned name trend keeps up. It's short, simple, and cute. But it does lack a traditional super-adorable nickname option, unlike
Edith, which I otherwise think fits the same category for popularity-potential.
But you could call
Mabel Maybe. OMG love. Okay, after all of this I think I have talked myself into liking
Mabel more.
ETA: Last year there were 176 girls born in the US named
Mabel. In 2009 there were 147, and in 2008 there were 138. So perhaps very slowly it is making a run for a ranking position.
This message was edited 6/1/2011, 11:49 AM