| Ebony | Mabel | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | deep black wood | Lovable |
| Origin | latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EB-uh-nee | MAY-buhl |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1982 (2,279) | 1915 (3,683) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 1,522 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ebony | Mabel |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 155 | 6,614 |
| 2010s | 742 | 4,710 |
| 2000s | 2,911 | 1,073 |
| 1990s | 10,174 | 694 |
| 1980s | 18,263 | 779 |
| 1970s | 6,688 | 690 |
| 1960s | 59 | 1,053 |
| 1950s | 6 | 1,836 |
| 1940s | 0 | 4,020 |
| 1930s | 0 | 8,798 |
| 1920s | 0 | 24,522 |
| 1910s | 0 | 30,783 |
| 1900s | 0 | 21,625 |
| 1890s | 0 | 21,991 |
| 1880s | 0 | 13,096 |
A word-name from 'ebony', the dense black tropical hardwood, from Latin 'ebenus' (via Greek, ultimately Egyptian). Note: a vocabulary name; secondary nature theme reflects the tree/wood source.
A medieval short form of Amabel, from Latin amabilis 'lovable, dear', from amare 'to love'. The long-surviving English form of the amabilis names.
Mabel is more popular than Ebony today: about 1,522 US babies were given the name Mabel in 2025, compared with 0 named Ebony.
Ebony means deep black wood (latin origin), while Mabel means Lovable (latin origin).
In US records, Ebony first appears in 0 and Mabel in 1880, so Ebony has the longer recorded history.