My husband and I will be having our last baby in [name_u]August[/name_u], our fourth girl. He’s been loving the name [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] since before we even had kids since it’s his grandmas name and he was really close to her. I’ve never met any Mabels before, but when I picture someone with this name I envision someone frumpy and unattractive or a cow lol. And I also worry that people will think it’s a horrible and ugly name, I know you can’t please everyone, but I don’t want to saddle a child with a name that will be a burden. I really, really want to love the name and give it a chance, I just don’t know how. A lot of berries seem to really like it and think it’s sassy and spunky which is appealing. At this point there aren’t any names that I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] and probably won’t since we’ve already named so many and have used a lot of favorites already.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think I could grow to love it? What do others picture when they hear the name? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you know any young Mabels? Any cool [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] stories?!
I think [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is a pretty cute name. I definitely think of “The Pirates of Penzance” first thought. I dont know how you feel about the name “[name_f]May[/name_f]” but you could probably use that as a nn if you’re unsure about [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] itself.
there is a singer stage-named [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] McVey, 22 years old.
i find [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] to be quite a cute name but maybe you might like [name_f]Maple[/name_f] more?
I think [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is beautiful! It is dated, yes, but in a vintage way, not a “passed it” way. I think it is sweet and charming, and a little magical. I always makes me think of The Pirates of Penzance character… with her gorgeous curls, bright eyes, and songbird voice. I don’t think of it as ugly at all, and I don’t think many would. It’s a darling name!
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is a beautiful name. I don’t think the name is frumpy at all. I know a [name_f]Mabel[/name_f], who is in her 50s. The woman has birthed and raised several children in rather tough circumstances and is undoubtedly one of the strongest women I know. That’s why, when I hear this name, I think of perseverance, of quiet beauty, and of someone who always has a smile ready.
I think it would be a good idea to ask your husband to tell you stories of his grandma [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]. Ask what things she did with/for him that meant the most. Ask whatever you want. This might help you see the character of the name that belonged to a woman who clearly meant the world to him. Maybe this will help the name grow on you and I really hope it does. As a sidenote, I can relate to this situation. My husband’s grandmother passed away a 3 years ago this fall, soon after our marriage. He adored her. She had her faults, sure, but my husband grew up spending lots of time with her. I’m not overly thrilled with her name, which was a misspelling of [name_f]Audrey[/name_f]. However, DH has voiced a few times that he might like to use that name for a future daughter, even if it is just her middle name. Again, I didn’t like her name… but I did what I suggested to you… I asked him to tell me stories about her. When I knew her, when she was alive, she was almost always frail and sick…but when he told me stories, she was back to being a fire-haired, determined, full-of-laughter, not afraid to throw a punch, firecracker of a woman. It helped me to see her as a person…the person who she still is, in his eyes. And you know what? I like the name more. It isn’t something I’d chose on my own, but this woman meant a lot to my husband and I want to honor that…and her.
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is, in my opinion, beautiful.
It’s a sweet, pretty name that’s vintage in the best way and that makes me think of flowers, spring and sunshine.
There are a lot of nicknames she could go by, [name_f]May[/name_f]/[name_f]Mae[/name_f], [name_f]Bel[/name_f]/[name_f]Belle[/name_f], Mabe, Mabbie, her initials (MJ is really cute!) etc
The first association that comes to mind is the protagonist of a cute cartoon I watched a couple years back, the [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] in it was a young, cheerful girl full of life, which is what [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] has always been to me.
On the other hand, if you really hate the name, you should tell your husband to consider an alternative like [name_f]Amabel[/name_f], [name_f]Mabely[/name_f], [name_f]Maple[/name_f] (a previous poster’s lovely suggestion) or use [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] as a middle name. If you wouldn’t be willing to ask him to reconsider, I think you’d get over any bad association after meeting your daughter anyway
My daughter [name_f]Frida[/name_f] goes to school with a girl called [name_f]Mabel[/name_f], and I have always thought it’s such a pretty name. [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is very sweet.
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is so pretty and elegant! It has a lovely vintage vibe and although it’s a little dated, makes me think of a cute little girl. Maybe you and your husband would prefer [name_f]Amabel[/name_f]? Or maybe she could go by a nn that you like most of the time such as [name_f]Mae[/name_f]/[name_f]May[/name_f] or [name_f]Bel[/name_f]/[name_f]Belle[/name_f]? It’s a gorgeous name and you might grow to love it if it’s worn by someone you love so much!
He did mention last night that she was very sweet and very beautiful and that she won pageants when she was young. I’ll ask him for other memories to help make more of a connection since I’ve never met her. I’ll have him ask his parents for a picture too which would be nice to see! I do like the nn [name_f]May[/name_f]. I’m glad to see so many positive responses to the name! Thanks all!
I think if it as a sort of vintage, hipster name. It’s got a clunky cool vibe. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes more popular, which would be good in this case! I feel like it’s a lot like [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], which is definitely back already.
I like the nickname [name_f]Mae[/name_f]/[name_f]May[/name_f] a lot too.
I have the same opinion on [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] as you do; it feels quite old. Maybe just use it as a middle name once you’ve found a name you love. I would never name my child something I had doubts in but it’d be a nice honouring name to his grandmother as a middle
There’s a main character on a popular cartoon called [name_f]Gravity[/name_f] Falls and her name is [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] and she is very spunky. I’ve seen some episodes and it helped normalize the name for me and make it feel more ordinary, lived-in, and fun. I recommend checking out some clips on YouTube to get used to hearing [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] in a casual way on a girl.
I think you should definitely give [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] a chance if it has that much personal significance to your husband and he loves it so much. Also, I know that [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] seems frumpy to you now, but it is very much on-trend and quirky-cool. You see a lot of celebrities using it for their kids these days (remember when [name_f]Heather[/name_f] Locklear and [name_u]Reese[/name_u] Witherspoon were ahead of the [name_f]Ava[/name_f] train? [name_m]Dermot[/name_m] Mulroney, [name_m]Bruce[/name_m] [name_m]Willis[/name_m], [name_m]Russell[/name_m] [name_m]Brand[/name_m], and [name_m]Topher[/name_m] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] all have Mabels under ten years old) and it comes up on baby boards all the time, so I don’t think anyone will think it’s ugly now that it’s coming back, and, like you said, most people tend to think of it as spunky and sassy these days. I think you should definitely try out [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] for a while and see how you like it. Give it as your name at Starbucks or just use it in different contexts. I do think it’s such a good name with so many great qualities, and I love that your husband would finally get to use the name he’s loved all this time on his fourth and final girl.
One thing to remember: the kid defines the name, not the other way around. Now, there may be names that it’s hard to get past other connotations for - [name_m]Adolf[/name_m], for example, or [name_m]Romeo[/name_m]. The problem is that we only have one touchstone for the name. [name_m]John[/name_m] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] could be anybody, but [name_m]Adolf[/name_m] and [name_f]Cher[/name_f] are very specific people. For you, [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] has one vibe - frumpy. For your husband, his experience means [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is lovely. I think it’s valid to wonder how a certain name will fare on a child in the day and age in which they live - will [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] be looked at as frumpy as you fear, or as lovely as your husband hopes? Probably both, in reality. There will certainly be people who have never met a [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] younger than 82 who will shake their heads at a baby with that name; but there are also plenty of vintage names on preschool rosters. There’s a bona fide trend of 100 year old names being popular - sometimes in surprising ways ([name_u]Sydney[/name_u] for girls). With the name landscape the way it is, incorporating made-up names, hero-worship names, multicultural crossover names, mythological names, and standard classic names - [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] will fit right in. And before long, your baby girl will inhabit the name so fully in your heart and mind that she will define [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] for you, and the frumpy image will be a thing of the past.
I think [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is one of the ugliest names ever, and I envision [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] the same way you do. I don’t understand the recent popularity. I would never name my child something for which I have such negative imagery.
Personally, I have always thought of [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] as pretty cute. My friend had a cat called [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] who was absolutely adorable and very sweet.
Maybe you could try [name_f]Maybelle[/name_f], [name_f]Belle[/name_f], [name_f]Bella[/name_f] or [name_f]May[/name_f] instead???
personally a character made me like [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] ([name_f]Mabel[/name_f] Pines from [name_f]Gravity[/name_f] Falls). Now I see [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] as a bright, optimistic, carefree and fun name, and I’d love to meet a little [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]. But I would say if you need to persuade yourself to love it, maybe it isn’t the one, and would work better in the middle. That way you could have a first you both like and dh could still call her [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] sometimes.
