Christabel

Christabel is a feminine given name of English origin. It is commonly regarded as a compound of Christ and belle, and is often interpreted as meaning “beautiful Christian” or “beautiful follower of Christ,” though the precise linguistic history is uncertain. The name has been used since the 18th and 19th centuries and appears in various literary and cultural contexts.

In literature, Christabel most notably refers to the poem Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Begun in the late 1790s and published in 1816 as part of Lyrical Ballads, with Wordsworth, the work is an unfinished Gothic narrative about a young girl named Christabel who meets a mysterious visitor named Geraldine. The poem is renowned for its dreamlike atmosphere, supernatural overtones, and its place in early Romantic and Gothic poetry. Its fragmentary nature invites diverse interpretation and analysis.

Notable people named Christabel include Christabel Pankhurst (1880–1958), a British suffragette and a leader of the women's suffrage movement. She helped co-found and lead the Women’s Social and Political Union, which campaigned for voting rights for women in the early 20th century.

Beyond these associations, Christabel remains a given name used in English-speaking contexts and appears in various cultural works as a character name. The combination of historical, literary, and cultural references gives the name a presence in both historical and literary records.