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Annabel
An old favorite. What do you think of Annabel? Do you prefer Annabelle?What do you think caused it's massive fall in popularity in 2015? Any ideas?Do you think it's too sweet or kitschy? What would you pair with it? I kind of like Lily Annabel, is it too sweet?
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Not a fan of -bel, -belle or -bella names: they are too sweet for my tastes, but I prefer Annabel over Annabelle.
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I don't mind it but I do think it is sickly sweet.I much prefer Anna on it's own or Belle / Bella on it's own. Together it's all a bit too much for me!
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I think it's pretty. I think there a lot of "belle" names that are getting more attention now. Arabella / Mirabelle as well as many "elle' names. I like both spellings equally so I can't comment on that. I think Lily Annabel is lovely.
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My preferred spelling is definitely Annabelle. It looks more complete. It may sound a bit cutesy but otherwise decent. Plenty of nn opportunities
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Annabelle annoys me greatly. So unnecessary to try and make it look French rather than Scots-Latin. Annabel itself is so pretty that it seems wrong on a plain bearer, so if a child is likely to be less than gorgeous, perhaps one might think twice. Or not! Maybe give her something to live up to and be a source of confidence.I knew an Annabel Suzanne once. Didn't like it much as a combo - too Anne-heavy. Annabel Susan would work. Annabel Joan; Annabel Clare; Annabel Maria.
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I'm not a huge fan of it. I think the fall in popularity may be due to the horror movie Annabelle which came out in 2014.

This message was edited 4/18/2017, 7:40 AM

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Yes, I think this might be the reason! I haven't seen the movie but it was advertised a lot so I saw posters and once stumbled upon the trailer :( Why did they have to use such a nice name for such a creepy movie hahaha
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I like it a lot. In the past, I think I've said I prefer the Annabelle spelling, but at the moment it's striking me as a little too frilly. I think now I like Annabel better.I had no idea that it had a massive fall in popularity. I don't know what may have caused it.I don't think that Annabel / Annabelle by itself is too sweet or kitschy, but Lily Annabel together is.I know a young couple (no longer a couple, actually---now divorced) who named their daughter Annabelle Lee, but that was specifically after the Edgar Allan Poe poem. I think it's a little embarrassing, to be honest lol.
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Oh man...I went to school with an Annabel Lee as first name and last name. She was a couple of grades younger than me. Poor girl couldn't ever escape that obvious nod to Poe unless she got married or changed her name. It makes 'Lee' as a middle name and fun little story look kind of cute. Her parents definitely did it purposefully- I asked her about it.
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Did they spell it Annabelle Lee? Because in the poem it's Annabel Lee :P I like the poem but I don't like how the names run into each other, kind of like Annabelly :P
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Oh no, I know that they spelled it the same way as the poem, but I was thinking it was Annabelle in the poem. They named her Annabel Lee.
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I love Annabel. I prefer it to Annabelle. I'm guessing it's fallen because -belle/a names are going to be passe soon. I don't know. I would choose Anna or Susannah over Annabel purely because I wouldn't want to give a potential child a name that would be dated so quickly like Annabel probably will, unfortunately. But I still adore it. If it weren't a trend, it'd definitely be my top name. Strangely, I actually know two baby Annabelles born in the past half a year or so. Before that I didn't know any.Lily Annabel is a bit too sweet for me, though. :)

This message was edited 4/18/2017, 7:17 AM

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Yes, I think that might be the reason, together with the horror movie Annabelle which was released in late 2014 (so it would have an effect on 2015). I am curious to see how it will place for 2016! Yes, -belle/-bella names seem to be losing popularity, Bella fell quite a lot too and for being a former #1 name Isabella is also going down rather quickly.
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I prefer Anabel. There are no unnecessary letters and I think its the spelling most non-name nerds will naturally gravitate to in the scheme of Isabel. Lily Annabel is sweet.
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I definitely like the Annabel spelling more.
It's cute, gives me a bit of a southern vibe. But there are better -bel names out there that draw more positive attention like Isabel, Mirabelle, Jezebel (ew), Hazel, or simply Belle or Bella. That's what I would say has impacted it's popularity.
Here are some combos I would (cautiously) use it in:
Annabel Jo
Annabel Joan
Katherine Annabel (long, but I can picture it on a person)
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Hi !!!I don't know anything about its decresing of popularity.But I think both Annabel / Annabelle sound very dated and unattractive to me. I would never used them.They are not sweet nor kitschy but just dated and boring.Lily doesn't fits very well.I think that Lucy Annabel would be the best combo with it. Lucy make it sweeter.

This message was edited 4/18/2017, 3:13 AM

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