US Popularity Rank: 861

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: lion of God

Unlike many baby-name variations, which don’t add much to the changed name, this respelling fleshes out Ariel into a more feminine alternative. That -elle ending—so popular with names like Isabelle and Gabrielle—takes a winning turn here too. Though Ariel is way ahead of Arielle in popularity, the latter has shown it’s a worthy member of the sisterhood. The original name gained prominence when the title character from The Little Mermaid was named Ariel, in 1989.