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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Mabli? (non Welsh family)

33 replies

Eleanor90 · 06/03/2020 16:08

We really like the name Mabli (MAB rhymes with TAB + lee)

It’s the Welsh form of Mabel, which we don’t like nearly as much. Is it too Welsh for a non-Welsh family? No Welsh links but we just came across the name and love it!

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Bezalelle · 07/03/2020 15:24

Dreadful sounding name, whether Welsh or not. The "bl" sound just isn't pleasant.

TypicalMeBreakMyTypicalRules · 07/03/2020 14:41

Fab name, my friend's favourite girls name. I'm considering a Welsh name. Not Welsh but lived there for a short time.
No different from using Sofia or Céline etc

mummabubs · 07/03/2020 08:26

If you love it then go for it! We chose a Scandinavian name for our DS despite having no links. He's nearly 3 and we're so used to the comments of how unusual but lovely his name is that it literally doesn't phase us. Both my husband and I have "normal" names but spelt weirdly so we're also used to explaining things, it doesn't bother us 😊

Original poster
Eleanor90 · 07/03/2020 08:00

We were thinking either Margaret or Marianne for the middle name (family names we like and would love to use) but not sure if the alliteration would be too much? I like Mabli Margaret best I think.

Otherwise, maybe Elizabeth, Helen, Philippa or Louisa? (More family names we like)

OP posts:
84TinsOfBeans · 07/03/2020 07:55

Go for it op. Why will you do for a middle name?

Original poster
Eleanor90 · 07/03/2020 07:43

Thank you all!

What’s wrong with Mabel? Nothing, it’s fine, but I don’t like it enough to use it for a child.

I don’t mind a brief explanation about the origin. We have a DD with a French name already (Sylvie) and only rarely do we get asked if we have a connection. We just say no, we just loved the name. I get that Mabli is probably less well known but I don’t think it would be a big issue.

Misspelling, while a bit annoying, is something that happens with lots of names (including my very ordinary one) so also not a dealbreaker for me.

OP posts:
daisypond · 07/03/2020 07:39

I like it a lot. I know one and I don’t live in Wales. I much prefer it to Mabel, which seems very dreary to me.

Bienentrinkwasser · 07/03/2020 07:27

Love it. Really don’t think it’s unusual enough to cause any issues. It’s easy to pronounce and spell, and it’s not like you’ve picked a Swahili name or something (although that would be fine too tbh).

84TinsOfBeans · 07/03/2020 07:23

I live in Wales. We have a Mabli. No one has ever heard of it where we live.

People ask name. I say Mabli. People say 'that's unusual'. I say it's an old Welsh name. People say 'oh'. We all move on.

None has ever mispronounced it from reading it. It often gets misspelled though with people adding an e or y on the end.

Use it if you like it and don't worry about it. People aren't that interested in other people tbh.

CherryMaple · 07/03/2020 06:35

Go for it OP!

Changedname81 · 07/03/2020 06:27

“Her name’s Mabli, it’s Welsh, we have no connections just really like the sound”

Not exactly a hardship ...Grin

It’s gorgeous OP

ZebraKid71 · 06/03/2020 20:41

I don't think the general population of England would know it was a Welsh name to be honest. I'd go for it. A huge percentage of people will use names from other languages/cultures. My daughters name is scandinavian and my sons is Hebrew. I'm Cumbrian.

Theukisgreatt · 06/03/2020 20:14

I'm sure there are plenty of Welsh people with English names. I heard the name in a drama recently and thought it was sweet.

nosleepp · 06/03/2020 20:13

Go for it if you love it

CaffiSaliMali · 06/03/2020 20:12

Half Welsh half English here with a Welsh name, born and raised in England.
I got a lot of questions about my name growing up. Be prepared for that. It didn't bother me at all, but all I had to do was say 'yes, it's Welsh for X (english version of my name), my Mother's from Holyhead'. Eventually I just said 'it's Welsh, my Mam's from Holyhead' as a few people rather rudely decided my name was too hard to say and they'd call me the English version instead. English version is a lovely classic, but not my name! If you don't like Mabel, be warned some people will just call her Mabel anyway.

Mabli is nice, as is Mari (marry, Welsh for Mary). Mali is also nice as Mike said, not that I'm biased or anything...

Mabli is much nicer than Mabel.

user1493494961 · 06/03/2020 19:00

It's a very pretty name, agree with pp, if you love it, go for it. There's such a wide range of names now that Mabli won't stand out as being unusual.

Doodlesquah1 · 06/03/2020 18:53

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Mabli

LiveatCityHall · 06/03/2020 18:26

My DS has a very Welsh name and we have zero welsh connections we just absolutely loved it. We get asked where it's from but we never get asked if we're Welsh or have any welsh family.
If you love the name I'd say go for it. I think it's a beautiful name.

chalkiegirl · 06/03/2020 18:06

Not helpful I know - I'm Welsh and the only Mabli I know of is a cat!

Saucery · 06/03/2020 17:33

I love it. I would use it if not Welsh/living in Wales.

MikeUniformMike · 06/03/2020 17:28

It's not horrid and it is popular in Wales.

I don't really see the point of using a name from another culture, so I'd rule it out because of that, and there are prettier Welsh names, but at least it is easy to say and pronounce.

BobbyBlueCat · 06/03/2020 17:25

It's horrid.

What's wrong with Mabel?

MikeUniformMike · 06/03/2020 17:17

It is pronounced MABBly - just like Madly, as in Truly, Madly, Deeply.

As Welsh names go, it is pretty and shouldn't cause problems.

Mali is also nice and is pronounced Mally. Not Mahly.

Guardsman18 · 06/03/2020 17:16

Oh - me and my spelling!

StegosaurusRex · 06/03/2020 16:45

I'm Welsh and I say go for it. It's a beautiful name and you don't need to have a connection to the country to use it. Mali is also very lovely.

It is Mowgli in The Jungle Book :)

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