Frequency: (364)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. English (Hampshire): of uncertain origin. It could be from a pet form of a Middle English female personal name, Mab(be) (see Mabbitt). Alternatively, it may be an altered form of Mowbray.
2. French: from the personal name Amable (from Latin Amabilis meaning ‘loveable’).
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
