My husband and I both love the name Maybellene. It’s pretty much the only girls’ name we both agree on. I loved the name [name]Mabel[/name] as a child and I love the pretty French sound of Maybellene. My husband is a [name]Chuck[/name] [name]Berry[/name] fan and loves it from the song. I also think the nickname “Maybe” is adorable and I even like [name]May[/name]. But when it comes to actually naming our daughter, I just can’t get past the makeup connection. Of course my husband doesn’t think that is an issue - he didn’t even realize it was a brand. So I guess she would be fine with the guys, but I’m sure she would get lots of jokes from the ladies.
Any ideas for how to work through this? Is it any better to name her [name]May[/name] [name]Beline[/name]? Or is that almost worse? Any other ideas for something similar?
It’s a pretty name but i instantly think of the make up brand. I would go with [name]Mabel[/name] and then you can still NN her Maybe or [name]May[/name]
It’s pretty but I do think of the make up…what about just [name]Mabel[/name]?
I wouldn’t do [name]May[/name] [name]Beline[/name], it looks awkward…[name]Mabel[/name] [name]Lina[/name] would be pretty, though. You could call her by her first and middle to get Mabellina, which is very close to Maybellene but maybe different enough from the make up to not get a bunch of weird looks, and all the nn you love would still apply.
[name]Magdalene[/name] is another pretty name that’s similar to Mabellene, perhaps it might appeal to you? [name]Maggie[/name] would be a sweet nn, and [name]May[/name] would work, too. [name]Dolly[/name] or [name]Lena[/name] would be nice too!
My first thought was the make up brand; because the name is so unusual, the association than other “girl brand-names” like [name]Pandora[/name] or Chloé.
[name]May[/name] [name]Beline[/name] or [name]Mabel[/name] ([name]Lynn[/name]) are great suggestions and you get to call her “[name]May[/name]/Maybe”.
More ideas:
Mably —*a medieval form of [name]Mabel[/name].
[name]Amabel[/name]
[name]Mabella[/name]
[name]Mirabelle[/name]
[name]Maribel[/name]
Isabelline
a double first name: [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Abigail[/name], [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Isabelle[/name], [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Belinda[/name].
Although I love the [name]Chuck[/name] [name]Berry[/name] song, the make up brand is the first thing I think of when I see/hear this name. To be honest, I don’t love Maybellene, but it is a name I want to love - I think it’s just the make up brand stopping me. [name]Mabel[/name] is gorgeous however!
I think it’s lovely, but I do have visions of mascara (“maybe she’s born with it…”) haunting her…it wouldn’t stop me from using it if it were my #1 stand apart favorite, but I would worry about it a bit.
Maybe flip it? Use [name]Mabel[/name] as her actual name and Maybellene as a sweet nickname/endearment at home?
[name]Hi[/name], I know a girl in the year above me called Maybelline. As far as I know she hasn’t had many jokes about it. As you daughter gets older and starts wearing make up, it might be cool for her to have a make up brand with the same name as her. I know I’m forever looking for a nail polish called [name]Ellie[/name]! (Thank God for Julep!) I think it would be fine for you to name your daughter Maybellene. Good luck
[name]Ellie[/name] xx
The make up brand is pretty prominent. But if Maybellene were my favorite name I wouldn’t let that stop me.
I think when people first met her they’ll probably say something like ‘like the makeup’ but once they get to know her the brand will fall away and it would just become her name. Besides [name]Maybeline[/name] was a name before it was brand so I think it’s perfectly usable.
Get ready for a lifetime of “maybe she’s born with it…” jokes. [name]Mabel[/name] is lovely - I would just use the shorter version. You can still call her Maybe or Maybellene as a nn.
My husband and I have had the same conversation about that name. We are both [name]Chuck[/name] [name]Berry[/name] fans and love that song… but… we always come back to the make up brand. [name]Mabel[/name] is also lovely though- you just don’t get the song namesake.
Keep in mind the make-up brand is Maybelline, you wrote Maybellene, and someone else just wrote [name]Maybeline[/name]. I can’t decide if it’d be better to have the name spelled like the brand or differentiated. I’m leaning towards spelled the same way.
I’d pick [name]Mae[/name] or [name]May[/name] or [name]Mabel[/name] and use Maybelline as a cute family nickname. My nicknames were almost always elaborations on my name. It works.
I’d go with [name]Maybelle[/name], like [name]Maybelle[/name] Merriwether in ‘Gone With the Wind’. It’s a bit closer to Mabelline than Mabel is without the brand name getting in the way.
[name]Mabel[/name] or [name]Maybelle[/name] would be better than Maybellene. [name]Aveline[/name] or [name]Abilene[/name] are similar in sound so these could make great alternatives.
All of the people responding to this post grew up in a different time than your daughter will. Who knows if that brand of make-up will be around by the time your daughter goes to school. And if it is, who knows if they will still use that same jingle. (Also, kids don’t see as many ads on tv these days… they watch things on DVR and on-demand and online - I don’t remember the last time I heard that jingle).
If you love the name, the possibility that someone might reference a 20 year old jingle when they meet her is a sad reason not to choose it. Kids will be kids. They will make fun of every name. “Maybe its Maybelline” isn’t so bad.
Regardless, whatever name you choose, it will become your daughter’s name and not the name of a make-up brand. Choose the name you want. You will be happy you did.
