Girl · #3,743 in 2026

Idabel

Name: Popularity of the name Idabel in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Idabel, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Idabel is a city in and the county seat of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,961 at the 2020 census. It is in Oklahoma's southeast corner, a tourist region known as Choctaw Country.

Current Rank

#3,743

Peak Rank

#2,384 (1919)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1891

First Year

1928

Last Year

1919

Peak Year

#2384

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Idabel

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

Part of downtown Idabel Martha A. Johnson Library in Idabel Idabel was established in 1902 as a station by the Arkansas and Choctaw Railway . (This was later part of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway , and the line is now operated by the Kiamichi Railroad ). The city was first named "Purnell", after Isaac Purnell, a railroad official. When postal officials rejected that designation, the name was changed to "Mitchell", honoring another railroad company officer. Postal officials rejected that name because another post office of the same name already existed elsewhere in the territory. They

The Story of Idabel

Idabel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1891, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1919, when 14 Idabels were born — ranking #2,384 that year. As of 2026, Idabel ranks #3,743 for baby girls with 7 births, with steady use. In total, more than 48 Idabels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Notable people named Idabel

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

Vice Admiral Phillip Balisle , United States Navy
Randall Burks , former professional football player
Ray Burris , professional baseball player
Hadley Caliman , jazz musician
Robert Evans , podcaster and journalist
Earl Grant , organist
Larzette Hale-Wilson , first Black woman in US to earn a PhD in accounting and the first Black female CPA in the state of Georgia.
Jeff Keith , lead singer for the rock band Tesla

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Idabel

Phonetically similar names — useful when Idabel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Isabel
Izabel
Edible
Audible
Addable
Addible
Ridable
Rideable
Guidable
Eatable
Oedipal
Idol

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Idabel

What does the name Idabel mean?

How popular is Idabel in 2026?

In 2026, Idabel ranks #3,743 among girls' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year.

When was Idabel most popular?

Idabel reached its peak popularity in 1919, ranking #2,384 that year with 14 babies given the name.

Is Idabel a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Idabel is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Idabel?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Idabel include Biddie, Agusta, Florina. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Idabel

Idabel is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1891 and has accumulated 48 births in the dataset. Idabel's peak popularity came in 1919 when it ranked #2,384. Use the chart and map above to compare Idabel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.