What is your favorite [name]Belle[/name] name? [name]Do[/name] you like the name [name]Belle[/name] as a nickname and do you think it would work alone?
I think the absolute best “[name]Belle[/name] name” is [name]Belle[/name]. Hands down. [name]Bella[/name] is very pretty, but way too popular for my taste. I wanted to use [name]Belle[/name] as a fn for years before Twilight came out… Then the whole [name]Bella[/name] craze made [name]Belle[/name] seem like “one of the crowd.”
I don’t particularly care for any of the other “Belles/Bellas” like [name]Isabel[/name], [name]Isabella[/name], [name]Arabella[/name], etc. They are all very pretty, frilly names… I just can’t get into them. It may be overexposure.
A little girl named [name]Belle[/name] would be adorable and very refreshing. She would need a strong and/or long mn to balance out her short and sweet fn.
I like [name]Anabel[/name] or any spelling of that. I also think just [name]Belle[/name] is pretty.
I think the -belle or -bella thing is very popular right now, but just [name]Belle[/name] feels fresher than most of the longer forms
I love [name]Belle[/name]! I’m using it as a middle name for [name]Charlotte[/name]. :]
My favorite [name]Belle[/name] name would be [name]Isabelle[/name], followed closely by [name]Annabelle[/name]. I know an [name]Isabelle[/name] and [name]Annabelle[/name] who both go by the nickname [name]Belle[/name] and they are both just precious.
I think [name]Belle[/name] definitely has substance and could work on its own, although a [name]Belle[/name] might get lost in the midst of all of the many [name]Belle[/name]/[name]Bella[/name] names that are popular right now.
My only issue with [name]Belle[/name] as a first name, is that it’s not technically a name.It’s the French word for beautiful, and my friend [name]Justine[/name] who grew up in [name]France[/name] her entire life said that it’s not seen as a name there, just a word. It’s the same thing with [name]Elle[/name], which really just means “she.” Or Soleil (even though it is slightly more approachable with Soleil Moon Frye) which means "sun."While I’d still use [name]Belle[/name] as a nickname, the French student in me is aware that it’s not really a name.
I’m not sure if you’re in the US or not, but if you are, it’s not that much of an issue because most Americans (like me) will associate [name]Belle[/name] with the Disney princess, but I guess just know that if you ever go to [name]France[/name]!
If you do use [name]Belle[/name], just be sure to pair it with a longer middle name!
[name]Isabelle[/name]. 
If I have anything to say in the matter, my first daughter will likely be [name]Isabelle[/name], nn [name]Bella[/name]/[name]Belle[/name]… I just adore it. I know it’s quite overused, but it just seems perfect for me. I do quite like [name]Arabella[/name], [name]Annabelle[/name]/[name]Annabel[/name], and [name]Mirabelle[/name], too.
[name]Annabel[/name] is beautiful to me:-)
I love [name]Belle[/name] all by itself!
i love [name]Belle[/name] the most on its own.
Names I love with [name]Belle[/name]:
[name]Arabelle[/name]
[name]Mirabelle[/name]
Names I love that can have the nn [name]Belle[/name]:
[name]Arabella[/name]
Belladonna
[name]Bellatrix[/name]
Rosabella
Beliarosa
[name]Cybele[/name] – sih-bell-ee
[name]Cymbeline[/name]
Ombeline
[name]Sibel[/name]
I think [name]Belle[/name] could definitely work alone however my absolute favorite “[name]Belle[/name]” name is [name]Arabella[/name]!
yes, that was part of my concern with the name was knowing that it really isn’t considerded a name but a french word
That is part of the name’s appeal to me. I have friends that speak French, and I think using a word from their language is a nice, subtle way to honor them. I guess it probably depends on how you feel about English word names though. I like a lot of word names, so the concept of using a name that is a word in a different language doesn’t bother me. Plus, the word has a nice meaning, so that helps.
I don’t think it can really stand alone because like others have said, it’s not a name. It would make a great nn though and allow a girl to continue using it or her fn when she’s old enough to decide.
I love Belle by itself!!! I would definitely use it if it wasn’t so popular. My favorite Belle names are Annabelle/a and Arabella/e nn Belle.
I wouldn’t worry about it “not being a real name” because there are tons of names that are actually just words in other languages. The fact that it’s the word for “beautiful” in another language just adds to it for me anyway!
[name]Annabel[/name] is my favorite, though I love [name]Belle[/name] on her own as well. I may use [name]Belle[/name] in the middle spot someday
I’m with @ashthedreamer with the choices above. [name]Isabel[/name], [name]Annabel[/name], [name]Bluebell[/name] (though this one is a little out there for me), and [name]Mirabelle[/name] are currently my favorites. I tend to like the shorter spellings and would probably go for the nn [name]Bell[/name] instead of [name]Belle[/name] or [name]Bella[/name]. I associate it less with Beauty and the Beast or the Twilight Trilogy.
[name]Isobel[/name] and [name]Arabella[/name], definitely. [name]Love[/name] them! I like [name]Annabel[/name] and [name]Bluebell[/name] too.
My favorite ‘belle’ name is [name]Mirabelle[/name].
I’m not usually fan of ‘belle’ endings, I prefer the simplicity of the ‘bel’ ending ([name]Annabel[/name], [name]Maribel[/name]), as I find them too flouncy. [name]Annabelle[/name] and [name]Maribelle[/name] are unnecessary, when you’ve got the simplicity of [name]Annabel[/name] and [name]Maribel[/name] (as examples).
Yet I think [name]Mirabelle[/name] is better than [name]Mirabel[/name], it’s one of the few where I think it works better.
I love [name]Belle[/name] on its own too.