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Archives-bel vs. -bella names
Can anyone give me any etymological reason why there are these pairs used:
Isabel vs. Isabella
Anabel vs. Anabella
but not:
Arabel vs. Arabella?
Was Arabel used at some point in history and is just not in the database or is there some reason why it is not used but Arabella is?
___________________________________________________________
Isabel vs. Isabella
Anabel vs. Anabella
but not:
Arabel vs. Arabella?
Was Arabel used at some point in history and is just not in the database or is there some reason why it is not used but Arabella is?
___________________________________________________________
1
Replies
My elderly copy of Chambers's Dictionary lists both Rosabel and Rosabella, though for some reason it has Rosabel with a long -o- and Rosabella with a short -o-.
And then there's Christabel ... but I've never seen Christabella. Anyone?
And then there's Christabel ... but I've never seen Christabella. Anyone?
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The forms Isabella and Anabella are Italianizations of names ending in -bel (the Spanish Isabel and the English Annabel) by analogy with the Italian bella, "beautiful" (fem.).
In fact, something similar happened in French, where Isabel was transformed into Isabelle, because -bel was too symilar to the word bel, "beautiful" (masc.), inappropiate for a feminine name, and replaced by belle, "beautiful" (fem.).
The Spanish Anabel has nothing to do with the English Annabel or the Italian Annabella, because it comes from Ana Isabel. Since it is very similar to those names, some people uses it as Spanish equivalent of them, but this is not the etymology of the name.
In fact, something similar happened in French, where Isabel was transformed into Isabelle, because -bel was too symilar to the word bel, "beautiful" (masc.), inappropiate for a feminine name, and replaced by belle, "beautiful" (fem.).
The Spanish Anabel has nothing to do with the English Annabel or the Italian Annabella, because it comes from Ana Isabel. Since it is very similar to those names, some people uses it as Spanish equivalent of them, but this is not the etymology of the name.
This message was edited 4/16/2009, 2:01 AM
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