Maybelle
A feminine name derived from the combination of "May" and "Belle" meaning "beautiful May flower".
Name Census estimates that about 1,004 living Americans carry the first name Maybelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maybelle today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maybelle births was 1918 (212 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maybelle. 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.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 341,389 Americans
Peak year
1918
212 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,423
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Maybelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maybelle from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 1,553 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maybelle 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 Maybelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maybelles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 34 states and territories. South Carolina, Illinois, New York recorded the most babies named Maybelle, while Oregon, Florida, Montana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 53 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maybelle
The name Maybelle has its roots in the English language, originating as a combination of the names May and Belle. It emerged during the late 19th century, primarily in the United States and parts of Canada.
The name May has its origins in the Latin word "Maia," which was the name of a Roman goddess associated with spring and fertility. Belle, on the other hand, is a French word meaning "beautiful." Thus, Maybelle can be interpreted as "beautiful May" or "beautiful spring."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maybelle dates back to 1886 when Maybelle Addington, an American actress and songwriter, was born. She was known for her work in vaudeville and musical theater in the early 20th century.
Another notable figure with the name Maybelle was Maybelle Carter, born in 1909, who was a pioneering American folk musician and member of the iconic Carter Family. She was renowned for her innovative guitar playing style known as the "Carter scratch," which influenced generations of musicians.
In the world of literature, Maybelle was the name of a character in the 1903 novel "The Graysons" by Edward Eggleston. This work portrayed life in rural Indiana during the late 19th century, further solidifying the name's presence in American culture.
Maybelle Millner, born in 1902, was an American lyric soprano who performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s. Her career spanned several decades, and she was highly regarded for her vocal talents.
In the realm of sports, Maybelle Efford, born in 1905, was a Canadian badminton player who won numerous national and international titles in the 1920s and 1930s. She was a dominant figure in the sport during her era and helped popularize badminton in Canada.
While the name Maybelle experienced a peak in popularity in the early 20th century, it has since declined in usage but remains a charming and nostalgic name with a rich history rooted in the English language and American culture.
People
Maybelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maybelle 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
Maybelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maybelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,004 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maybelle 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 341,389 US residents.
Is Maybelle a common name?
We classify Maybelle as "Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,306 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maybelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Maybelle was 1918, when 212 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maybelle is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maybelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maybelle 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.