Arabella?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-01-2006
Arabella?
11
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 2:26pm
Arabella? Whats everyones thoughts? I just found it yesterday and think it has a lovely sound to it. Is it very popular at the moment, and does it have any associations? Would love feedback, also a more traditional, 1 syllable mn to go with it?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-02-2006
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 2:46pm

I love this name so much! It is the one I had picked out for my daughter but my husband was only comfortable using it for a mn. This is not a very common name and you can do so many things with it, she can be Arabella, Arabelle, Belle, Bella, Ari, Ara, Aria, Arabi so she will always be able to fit her name to her personality. It is gorgeous! It is such a feminine, frilly name that the mn would have to be short and sweet. Here are some of the ideas we came up with:

Arabella Reece
Arabella Rowan
Arabella Elise
Arabella Celeste
Arabella Simone
Arabella Rose
Arabella Marie
Arabella Christine
Arabella Brianne
Arabella Grace
Arabella Jewel
Arabella Nicole

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-04-2006
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 2:55pm
Arabella is pretty, and does not sound very common, like for instance the also very pretty "Isabella." Grace or Marie would be nice middle names.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-26-2006
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 3:24pm
Here's a quote from another thread regarding my opinion of the name Arabella:

Read up on your Harry Potter. Miss Arabella Doreen Figg, neighbor of Harry Potter's foster family, is a dowdy, cat-obsessed woman who wears tartan plaid carpet slippers at all times.



Every little Harry Potter obsessed kid (and adult) in the world will immediately associate the name Arabella with a crazy old cat lady.



Also, in my crueler youth, I probably would have called her Areola. I was a snarky kid.


To add to that, I really don't like any of the nicknames. Arabella begets Bella (*hate* it for a number of reasons detailed in another thread), Belle (a Disney/dog name), Ari (a Jewish boy's name), Abby (why didn't you just call her Abigail?) and so on.



Also, isn't it a bit strange to anyone else that this name follows the same form as, say, Asyrianella or Hispanicella or, like, Polynesianella? It would kind of freak me out if I were of Arabic descent and some little non-Arabic girl introduced herself to me as what essentially translates to "Arab girl." It raises my eyebrow the same way that little white girls names Dakota and Cheyenne do. At least when you name a girl Asia or India, it's for a *place* she usually has no connection to, not for a *people* she definitely has no connection to.



In short, I don't like Arabella.



Just so no one accuses me of obsessively harping on this name without anything positive to add (which might be true... I'm sorry, it just really rubs me the wrong way...), here's a list of names I think keep the same general feel as Arabella but don't bother me as much:



Annabel

Sabella

Araceli

Ariadne

Aristella

Amabel

Rosabel

Mirabella



(I purposely left off the Isobel/Isabella kind of suggestions because people think they're too popular and I figure that if you liked Isabella, you wouldn't have given Arabella a second thought.)

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-02-2006
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 3:29pm
I don't like Arabella...not only is it the name of the cat obsessed lady in the Harry Potter books, it is too melo-dramatic. I much prefer Bella or Belle.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-01-2006
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 4:31pm
I didn't know that about Harry Potter! I'm finding it so hard to come up with girls names that I really love! I found Arabella, quite like it, but don't have my heart set on it. So it might be easy to cross it off the list. I have also been thinking of Annabella? But nn's of Belle or Bella are too popular for my taste! So maybe all Bella/Belle ending names should be off my list! I don't know it's too hard!! (Just had to have a little vent, maybe I should do a poll of my favourites)
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-26-2004
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 4:55pm

I really like this name and I believe it's becoming popular. First thing I thought of was Arabella Jane. I don't know why when I don't care for Jane but it's simple and sounds nice with Arabella.

Debra
dd-8/13/97
ds-11/24/03
ds-09/26/05

 
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-13-2005
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 7:14pm

I like the name Arabella, but if there is a negative feeling to it for you, then maybe a variation or different name.


Possible combos using Arabella:


Arabella Leigh, Arabella Jade, Arabella Sue, Arabella Joan, Arabella Grace, Arabella Rose, Arabella Gwen, Arabella Kate, Arabella Eve, Arabella Lynn


other names with " elle/ella"


Gabriella/Gabriella


Daniella/Danielle


Brielle


Noelle


Joelle


Mikelle


Giselle


Isabella


Annabella


Rachelle


Michelle


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 7:44pm

I know someone who had a baby recently and named it Arabella Rose.

At first I thought it sounded made up. but then I read it is a name of a character in a Charles Dicken's (or some other famous writer) novel.

I like it, but I wouldn't use it myself.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-09-2005
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 7:56pm
I love it, and no, it is not popular at all. A beautiful name. I like Arabella Claire as Claire seems to be of the same style. Other possibilities are Arabella Faye, Arabella Grace, and Arabella May.

                             
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-23-2004
In reply to: kath_gal33
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 8:36pm

Very nice name!

Arabella Sage
Arabella Tage
Arabella Faye
Arabella Grace
Arabella Raine
Arabella Laine
Arabella Kwyn
Arabella Maeve
Arabella Sloane
Arabella Faith
Arabella Gail
Arabella Ain
Arabella Bliss
Arabella Brier
Arabella Bron
Arabella Bronte
Arabella Cai
Arabella Claire
Arabella Dae
Arabella Skye
Arabella Dayle
Arabella Dawn
Arabella Eve
Arabella Fawn
Arabella Greer
Arabella Hope
Arabella Jade
Arabella Joy
Arabella June
Arabella Kade
Arabella Lark
Arabella Leigh
Arabella Liv
Arabella Paige
Arabella Pearl
Arabella Rae
Arabella Sade
Arabella Shaine
Arabella Shawn
Arabella Tainn
Arabella Tayce
Arabella Wynne

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