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I think it's dignified and mature. Definitely a favourite

I was never a fan of this name. It always made me think of Maple.

I don't think it's pretty at all - I think it's self-consciously modest and unpretty in the same way that Joyce or Abigail is.
I have associations with it that are similar to Martha's, and also the rhyme with label / table / stable seems ugly to me.
I think it'd seem less unappealing if I met a young person named Mabel, but not charming or pretty.
I think I'd decide it sounded pedestrian and reliable, like Jane or Beth.

This message was edited 8/10/2020, 11:28 AM

Never watched Gravity Falls, so I can't comment on that. But, I love Mabel. It's such a comforting name, like a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy morning. I don't think it's too old lady, or anything, but this is coming from someone who LOVES old lady names, so, grain of salt. Anyway, I adore it.

I’ve loved it since I was a kid and read the ‘Stories from Grandma’s Attic’ books. I think it’s super sweet.

I haven't seen Gravity Falls but my grandmother was Thelma Mabel, born in 1922, and her mother was Mabel Rachel, born in 1895.

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Mabel Rachel's other siblings were:
Jennie Belle
Ethel Nellie
Ruth
Ruby
Edith Jessalyn (after their mother Jessalyn)
Nellie

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Herman Alton

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So most of these names make me think of older ladies knitting or crocheting in a rocking chair with "Aunt" affixed before them.

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(I have to say I might like Jessalyn a bit more now, but especially because of some other family connections. Jessamine has been a favorite middle name for a while.)

Meh. It’s old-fashioned, though definitely not as much as Ethel or Edna. It’s not my style, but I can see the vintage charm.

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I prefer Amabel and Isabel.

I like it but not enough to use. I think it will become extremely common, especially in the UK (it is close to entering the top 100) and that we will see all kinds of spellings, especially Mabel and Maybelle but also Maybel, Maybell, Mabelle etc.

It’s just outside the top 100 here. It’s not something I would use, but i think it’s ok.

It's had a huge resurgence in England and Wales (you can check the popularity charts) but I don't like it. It's sickly sweet and dowdy all at the same time!

Too dated for me

I definitely think Gravity Falls has made Mabel far more accessible (for me at least). I like it, but I can’t quite decide if I love it, for some reason I prefer the sound of Maple, even though I’d probably only use it in the middle, and it sounds so similar.

Super cute, sweet, friendly and approachable. Just an average girl / woman, but a lovely person who would help anyone out. That’s the way I see this name. I really like it.

I've noticed that people seem to be attracted to this name lately. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It has a lot of the characteristics contemporary parents are looking for.

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That said, I absolutely hate it. It's so bad it's humorous. It's such a prim name, and also so dowdy and so hopelessly old fashioned in a kind of crusty, alien way. The idea of Mabel in my mind just couldn't exist today. All Mabels in my imagination soak themselves in sickening perfume and sit ramrod straight and decorate with dollies and are sexually repressed. Well, I suppose another sort of Mabel could be a bovine, coarse farm girl in the deep South. Either way, it conjures such a strong image in my mind, much stronger than most names, and I just can't wipe the slate clean and imagine a cute little 2020 kid named Mabel.

My favourite name! I like how sweet yet simple it is, hopefully it doesn’t become too popular! And even though I know it’s old, it doesn’t feel old to me.

I like Mabel a lot. It's Victorian and very sweet, but ages well.