Annabelle
A feminine name taken from French meaning "graceful, delightful".
Name Census estimates that about 52,012 living Americans carry the first name Annabelle. It sits at #349 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Annabelle today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Annabelle births was 2014 (4,363 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Annabelle. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Annabelle is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
52K
~ 1 in 6,590 Americans
Peak year
2014
4,363 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2012 SSA rank
#349
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Annabelle
Out of the 66,642 babies given the name Annabelle since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Annabelle as a male name
- Ranked #12,387 in 2012
- 5 male births in 2012
- Peak: 2009 (5 births)
Annabelle as a female name
- Ranked #349 in 2024
- 891 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (4,363 births)
Popularity
Annabelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Annabelle from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 28,946 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Annabelle by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Annabelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Annabelles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Annabelle, while District of Columbia, Wyoming, Vermont recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,201 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Annabelle
The name Annabelle has its origins in the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "grace" or "favor". It is a combination of the Hebrew name Hannah and the French word "belle", meaning beautiful. The earliest recorded use of the name Annabelle dates back to the 12th century in France.
In the Middle Ages, the name Annabelle was popular among the French nobility. It was often given to daughters as a symbol of grace and beauty. The name spread throughout Europe during this time, with variations like Anabel and Annabel appearing in different regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Annabelle can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem "Roman de la Rose". The poem features a character named Annabelle, who is described as a beautiful and virtuous lady.
In the 16th century, the name Annabelle gained popularity in England. One notable figure was Annabelle Howard (1512-1568), a member of the English nobility and the daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk.
During the 17th century, the name Annabelle was associated with religious figures. Annabelle Wilkinson (1610-1680) was an English Quaker writer and preacher, known for her work in promoting women's rights within the Quaker community.
In the 18th century, Annabelle Calvert (1724-1778) was a prominent figure in colonial Maryland. She was the wife of Benedict Calvert, the 6th Baron Baltimore, and played a significant role in the governance of the colony.
In the 19th century, Annabelle Moore (1842-1923) was an American educator and women's rights advocate. She founded the Moore Institute, a prestigious school for girls in Philadelphia, and worked to promote higher education for women.
Another notable figure from the 19th century was Annabelle Drummond (1850-1942), a British philanthropist and social reformer. She founded the Annabelle Drummond Homes, which provided housing and support for working-class women in London.
People
Annabelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Annabelle as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Annabelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Annabelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 52,012 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Annabelle going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 6,590 US residents.
Is Annabelle a common name?
We classify Annabelle as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 66,642 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Annabelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Annabelle was 2014, when 4,363 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Annabelle is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Annabelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Annabelle in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.