Arabella · Daily fortune

Arabella is a feminine English name that Behind the Name describes as a "medieval Scottish name, probably a variant of Annabel". It is pronounced ar-ə-BEL-ə. The entry adds that the name "has long been associated with Latin orabilis meaning 'invokable, yielding to prayer', and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this", so the prayer meaning is a long-standing association rather than the likely origin. Behind the Name also notes, as unrelated, that Arabella was an older name of the city of Irbid in Jordan, from Greek Arbela. Listed diminutives include Bella, Mabel, Mae and May. In the United States it ranked #213 for girls in 2025.

Behind the Name's best explanation is that Arabella is a medieval Scottish variant of Annabel. Its second observation is about how the name was written: it was long connected with Latin orabilis ("invokable, yielding to prayer") and was often recorded in Latin-looking forms resembling that word. That gives Arabella two layers, a probable Annabel origin and a learned Latin reinterpretation, which is why the meaning is best described as likely rather than established. Variants listed are Anabella, Anabelle, Annabel, Annabella, Annabelle and Amabel; other-language forms include Amabilis (Ancient Roman), Amable (French), Anabela (Portuguese) and Anabel (Spanish).

Arabella ranked #213 for girls in the United States in 2025 (Social Security Administration). Behind the Name gives no popularity history for the name beyond its medieval Scottish origin.

Arabella is a long, ornate, four-syllable name with a distinctly British and aristocratic ring, in the same register as Annabella, Isabella and Rosalind. It offers the fashionable nickname Bella while keeping a fuller, more formal name behind it, and the prayer association adds a gentle, old-world quality.

Names that share Arabella's Annabel origin, its -ella sound or its elegant, old-fashioned style.