Mabeline
A feminine name of French origin meaning "lovable".
Name Census estimates that about 45 living Americans carry the first name Mabeline. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mabeline today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mabeline births was 1940 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mabeline. 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
- • The typical person named Mabeline is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mabelines were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mabeline. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
45
~ 1 in 7,616,763 Americans
Peak year
1940
9 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1961 SSA rank
#7,155
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Mabeline: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mabeline from the 1920s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 43 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mabeline 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 Mabeline during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mabeline
The name Mabeline has its roots in the ancient Germanic languages, emerging in the Early Middle Ages around the 6th century CE. Its origins can be traced back to the Old High German name "Madalfrid," which was derived from the elements "madal" meaning "mighty" and "frid" meaning "peace." Over time, this name evolved into variations like "Mabilia" and eventually "Mabeline."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mabeline can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this historical document, a woman named Mabeline is listed as a landowner in the county of Gloucestershire. This suggests that the name was already in use among the Anglo-Norman aristocracy during the 11th century.
The name gained further prominence in the 12th century with Mabeline de Bellême, the daughter of Robert de Bellême, a powerful Norman nobleman. She was involved in a notable conflict with King Henry I of England over the inheritance of her father's lands. This historical figure demonstrates the use of Mabeline among the Norman nobility during the Norman conquest of England.
In the realm of literature, the name Mabeline appears in the Middle English romance "Sir Launfal," a tale from the 13th century. In this work, Mabeline is portrayed as a beautiful and virtuous maiden who aids the knight Launfal. This literary reference highlights the popularity of the name during the High Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mabeline was Mabeline Stace, a 14th-century English landowner from the county of Essex. Records indicate that she was involved in a legal dispute over property rights, showcasing the presence of the name among the gentry of medieval England.
In the 15th century, the name was borne by Mabeline de Rouville, a French noblewoman from the region of Normandy. Her marriage to Jean de Mauquenchy in 1420 is documented in historical records, demonstrating the continued use of the name among the French aristocracy during this period.
As the centuries passed, the name Mabeline remained in use, although it became less common. Notable individuals with this name include Mabeline Alston (1827-1904), an American writer and activist from New York, and Mabeline Gilpin (1874-1962), a British artist and illustrator known for her watercolor paintings of rural life.
Throughout its long history, the name Mabeline has evolved from its Germanic roots, carrying echoes of nobility, literary references, and cultural significance across various regions and time periods.
People
Mabeline + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mabeline as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mabeline: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mabeline?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 45 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mabeline 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 7,616,763 US residents.
Is Mabeline a common name?
We classify Mabeline as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 135 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mabeline most popular?
The single biggest year for Mabeline was 1940, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mabeline is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mabeline a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mabeline 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.