A female name. this puzzling name has always been primarily Scottish, and was apparently not known on the Continent until modern times One of its earliest occurrences is as the name of a d. of Duncan, Earl of Moray, who in 1158 carried it into the Lucy family. Robert III of Scotland in 1367 married Annabel Drummond, who became mother of James I of Scotland. The name appears variously as Annabel, Anabel, Anabill, Anabul, Annable, Annaple, and is latinized as Annabella. It was in general use in Scotland at a time when Anne was practically unknown there, and there is almost certainly no connexion between the two names. The most probable explanation is that Annabel was derived by a process of dissimilation from Amabel q. v. It is in favour of this explanation that Amabel seems not to occur in Scotland, in spite of its popularity with the Anglo-Normans in England. Poe’s poem ‘Annabel Lee’ has caused some revival in the use of this name in America and England and has even introduced it to France.

Anabel Close Rolls 1311. Anabille Close Rolls 1386. Anabul Close Rolls 1379.

ANNABELLA. The former is probably a shortening of the latter. Like Annaple, Annabella is too early to derive from (St.) Anne; they are, it seems, from ‘Ainé (joy), a favourite name in early Gaelic times, or from the Teutonic Arnhilda—Eagle heroine. Annabella is by no means to be explained to mean fair Anna’, for bella (L. bellus, handsome) as an adjunct belongs to ‘the late period of seven-leagued names,’ Yonge.

A Hebrew-Latin name, meaning: Beautiful Anna.