Is Annabelle a biblical name?

Annabelle is a biblically rooted name. While it does not appear in Scripture in this exact form, it comes directly from a biblical name or phrase. Annabelle has been in steady use since the 1800s and has surged in American popularity again in recent years, drawn along by its old-fashioned charm and gentle sound.

Girl · Hebrew · Old Testament · Biblically inspired

Annabelle

AN-uh-bel · means “Favor, grace, beautiful”

Annabelle blends Anna, or Hannah, meaning "favor" or "grace," with the French "belle," meaning beautiful. It is not itself a scriptural name, but its first half carries forward Hannah, whose years of prayer for a child were finally answered with the birth of the prophet Samuel.

Grace Hope Joy

“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.”
— 1 Samuel 1:27 (NIV)

The story behind the name

Annabelle has been in steady use since the 1800s and has surged in American popularity again in recent years, drawn along by its old-fashioned charm and gentle sound.

Hannah longed for a child for years, provoked by a rival wife and misunderstood even by the priest who watched her pray silently in the temple. She poured out her grief before the Lord, promising that if given a son she would dedicate him to God's service (1 Samuel 1).

God remembered Hannah, and she named her son Samuel, meaning "I asked the Lord for him." True to her word, she brought the boy to the temple and gave him back to the Lord's service, then sang a prayer of praise that echoes centuries later in Mary's own song (1 Samuel 2). A daughter named Annabelle carries Hannah's grace and her example of open-handed trust.

A blessing to pray over Annabelle

Father, give this daughter Hannah's patient, honest prayers and her grace under years of waiting. May she hold every gift You give her with open hands. Amen.