Mabel

The name Mabel is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "lovable". Mabel is a saucy Victorian favorite searching for its place in modern life; if you love offbeat old-fashioned names like Violet or Josephine, only sassier, Mabel is one for you to consider--it's started making a comeback and could rise to popularity a la Sadie. Several celebs have chosen it, including Chad Lowe, Nenah Cherry, Bruce Willis and Dermot Mulroney. Although it enjoyed considerable time outside of the Top 1000, Mabel is back on the list -- although nowhere near where it was in the 1880s and 1890s, when it was a Top 20 name. There is a Princess Mabel in the Netherlands today, born a commoner and married to Prince Friso. Some of Mabel's cultural references include Charlie Chaplin's favorite leading lady Mabel Normand, jazz singer Mabel Mercer, the lead character in Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, and the baby on the sitcom Mad About You (in which Mabel was an acronym for Mothers Always Bring Extra Love--a nice thought).