The Baby Name Wizard

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Arabella!

Comments and insights on the name Arabella: | Edit

Arabella means "answered prayer" as well as "beautiful altar."

Personal experiences with the name Arabella: | Edit

My daughter is named Arabella (she's 8). We call her Bella, but at school she insists on her full name. There are way too many Bellas out there. All are Isabellas, but she wants to be different. I get compliments on her name all the time. People really seem to like it a lot.

My daughter is named Ayrahbellah. I love the name Bella, but as noted above there are way too many out there these days. I'm glad that my daughter has a unique way to express herself. I didn't want to give her a common name, so I gave her a really pretty name.

Nicknames for Arabella: | Edit

Bella, Belle, Ari, Ara, Aria

Meanings and history of the name Arabella: | Edit

The next boat to arrive in America after the Mayflower was named the Arabella.

(Latin) answer to a prayer; beauty

(italian) beautiful girl

Famous real-life people named Arabella: | Edit

Donald Trump's granddaughter and Ivanka Trump's daughter, Arabella Rose

Arabella in song, story & screen: | Edit

Arabella, main character in "The Female Quixote" by Charlotte Lennox.
Arabella Strange (nee Woodhope), the wife of the title wizard in "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell", by Susanna Clarke.
Arabella Doreen Figg, neighbor of Harry Potter and the Dursleys. She was a Squib, and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
"Arabella" is a charming book by Georgette Heyer
The sister's name in the "Prince & Me" with Julia Styles was named Arabella.
Arabella, a character in the novel "Jude the Obscure" by Thomas Hardy
Arabella is an opera in 3 acts by Richard Strauss and a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
Arabella is the sister of the title character in the novel "Clarissa" by Samuel Richardson, published in 1748.
Arabella Bishop is the love interest of the main character in Rafael Sabatini's novel Captain Blood, published in 1922. There were a few film versions--the most famous one, shot in 1935, featured Errol Flynn as Captain Blood and Olivia de Havilland as Arabella.