Maebel
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially derived from May or mabel.
Name Census estimates that about 251 living Americans carry the first name Maebel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maebel today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maebel births was 2022 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maebel. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Maebel with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
251
~ 1 in 1,365,555 Americans
Peak year
2022
26 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,525
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Maebel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maebel from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 145 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Maebel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maebel 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 Maebel 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 Maebel
The name Maebel has its origins in the Old English language and can be traced back to the 9th century. It derives from the Old English word "mæg," which means "maiden" or "virgin," and the suffix "-bel," which was a common ending for female names during that time period. The name was initially popular among the Anglo-Saxon communities of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maebel can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of a great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Mæbel" in this historical document, indicating its usage during the late 11th century.
In the 12th century, a nun named Maebel of Bury St. Edmunds gained recognition for her religious devotion and charitable works. She lived from 1130 to 1198 and was known for her commitment to helping the poor and sick in the community.
During the 13th century, the name Maebel gained popularity among the nobility in England. One notable figure was Maebel de Beaumont, who was born in 1220 and was a member of the powerful Beaumont family. She is mentioned in several historical records from that period.
In the 14th century, a woman named Maebel of Shrewsbury (1310-1385) became renowned for her skills as a herbalist and healer. She was widely sought after for her knowledge of medicinal plants and her ability to treat various ailments.
Another notable figure from history who bore the name Maebel was Maebel Stokes (1660-1735), an English writer and philosopher. She was an advocate for women's education and wrote several influential essays on the subject during the early Enlightenment period.
While the name Maebel has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a part of historical records and serves as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage of Old English names.
People
Maebel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maebel 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
Maebel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maebel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 251 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maebel 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 1,365,555 US residents.
Is Maebel a common name?
We classify Maebel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 253 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maebel most popular?
The single biggest year for Maebel was 2022, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maebel is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Maebel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maebel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maebel 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.
Is Maebel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maebel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Maebel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Maebel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.