Annabel is not in the Bible. It arose in medieval Scotland as a variant of Amabel — the Latin amabilis, “lovable” — and the spelling was later altered as though it were Anna joined to the French belle, beautiful. So the “Anna” in Annabel is a mistake. But it is a mistake that points at somebody real, and she is one of the loveliest figures in the Gospels. What does the name Annabel mean? Lovable, by descent. Annabel comes from…

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