Arabella

Arabella unfolds like a ribbon. Likely a Latinate elaboration of Amabel, meaning "lovable," it carries a Regency lilt: the heroine of a drawing room, the name on a calling card. It drifted through English literature for centuries before American parents rediscovered it in the 2000s, where it has climbed steadily into the top 250. Four syllables, each one a small curtsy, with the nickname Bella tucked inside like a compact. Arabella sounds ornate but wears well in sneakers, favored by parents who want a romantic name that a grown woman can still sign on a boarding pass.