Marable

Starting off with my names from the Burning Times profiles really quickly before the Blogoversary Party, is Marable. Marable Couper was burned in the North of Scotland in 1622.

Can you guess what familiar name Marable (pronounced "MAR-ah-bul") is a variant of? I'll give you a hint, have the e and l switch places. Marable is an old form of Mirabel. Some sources say that Mirabel is derived from the Latin mirabilis, meaning "marvelous" or "wonderful." Other sources are more likely to say that it's a combination of Mary and Belle.

By coincidence, a well known person with this name died recently, although Marable was his surname. Manning Marable was a professor of African American studies who was involved in many progressive causes. Before he died he finished a biography of Malcolm X. This makes me think that nowadays Marable is more used as a last name.

This name will not appeal to everyone. When you say it aloud, it does sound like a combination of "horrible" and "marble." That will be all that some people will be able to hear.

On the plus side it feels very witchy. Like a character in a long lost fairy tale. "The young girl wanted the love of a man that would not have her, so she went across the river to see the Marvelous Madam Marable and ask for a potion." See? It totally works.

So Marable might not be for everyone for the reason that I mentioned, but it's an interesting name from the past. A unique choice for a little girl.

Sources:
http://www.wicca-chat.com/burning.htm
http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Marable-family-history.ashx?fn=&yr=1920
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Maribel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manning_Marable

Image Credit:
http://supermalade.deviantart.com/art/Plants-201935523