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Belle
Really like this at the moment. I also like Bell but I guess Belle is better. I like it as a full name. My mom is French and will probably think I'm nuts if I actually use it, so I guess in real life I would rather use it as a nickname but I do like it as a full name as well. I speak French but I still really like Belle and Elle as names. Maybe because they sound slightly different said in English. The E sounds rounder for some reason.I like Bella nn Bell or Belle. I also kind of like Annabella nn Bella or Belle. I never really cared for Isabella.Belle or Bella?Which full name for the nn Belle?Annabella
Bella
just Belle is fine
BellOh and I just thought of Maybelle. Does Maybelle nn Belle work? What about Mabel nn Belle?

This message was edited 6/7/2012, 12:49 PM

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I like Bell and also Bel, and Bellis, which is the Latin name for a daisy.
Annabel and Mabel are also fine.Bella and Belle both make me puke. (Sorry!) They make me think of some cheesy Euro-dude running after you with a bunch of crappy red roses, shouting: "Bella! bella!"
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Belle is really growing on me. It was the name of my ggm (Ida Belle). I much prefer it to Bella. I also prefer Belle over your other choices although I have personally considered Mary Isobel (Mary Bel) and Mary Belle (dh says it's too precious). I'd like to see someone else use it.
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I love the name Belle. Belle is adorable. I love it for Arabelle and Mirabelle.
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I like Belle. I think it sounds calm and confident, while Bella is kind of needy and pouty. Belle is fine on its own. I don't like Annabella, Bella nn Belle, or Maybelle.
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I dislike Bella and Isabella. Belle is lovely, but I prefer it as a nn, so I'd go with Annabelle. :)
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Look, there she goes, that girl is so peculiar
I wonder if she's feeling well
With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle
Sorry, I can't help it.I like the name all right. I think it stands on its own; it doesn't need Maybelle, or Isabella. Annabel would be cute, though.
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I like Belle a lot on its own. I think it can stand just fine. Besides I think Isabelle, Annabelle, etc. need a rest.
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I used to like Bella a lot, on its own. And then Twighlight and the Charge of the Isabella Brigade took it over. So it need a serious rest. Belle, on the other hand, still sounds fresh to my ears. It can stand on its own (stock: Belle Ariadne, Belle Myfanwy), but like you I prefer it as a nn. It wouldn't have to be predictable like Isabelle, Christabel, Arabella, Mirabel, Belinda, etc. It could be for something more subtle like Beatrice Eleanor --> B El --> Belle.
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Ahhh yeah, I still hate Twilight for ruining two of my favorite names: Bella and Embry. I don't even know anything about the Embry character because I've never read the books, but nameberry told me it's a Twilight name. Belle Ariadne is pretty cool, I also like Belle Adrienne.
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Belle Adrienne -- tres chic!
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I think Bella is ugly, and Belle is even uglier. It's such a 19th-century whorehouse madam or milk cow name.Maybelle is very hillbilly, stereotypically so. Mabel is stereotypically a worn-down, toothpick-chewing waitress name, and Belle doesn't make very much sense as a middle name for it because the bel in Mabel isn't pronounced like Belle.
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I also think that both Bella and Belle are ugly, but we differ in that I think that Bella is uglier than Belle.Maybelle doesn't sound hillbilly to me, just extremely Southern, without a necessarily hillbilly vibe. In other words, all hillbillies may be Southern, but not all Southerners are hillbillies!I like Mabel, but I agree that Belle doesn't make sense as a nickname for it.
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Belle is lovely. I've never cared as much for Bella and the 'Twilight' craze doesn't help. That said, I don't think Bella is a "bad" name, it just doesn't have the elegance of Belle. Personally, I prefer Annabelle over Annabella, but Belle works as a nickname for either. Another favorite of mine is Mirabelle, "wonderful". Maybelle has sweetness to it, though I do prefer Mabel. I don't see why Belle would *have* to be a nickname for something with the "bell" sound in it, however. Since Belle is associated with "beautiful" in French, I think any girl could be called Belle as an affectionate nickname, regardless of her given name.
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I definitely prefer Belle over Bella. Isabella is still so popular that Belle has a bit more weight to it. I would use Belle, just Belle. It's really pretty but not quite as... precious? as Bella.
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