Boy · Hebrew
Abel
Say it: AY-bul
Meaning
Hebrew Hevel, usually understood as 'breath, vapour'.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
Used in medieval Europe and today mainly in Spanish-speaking countries.
Its wave through time
Popular now
In the United States
- 57,531 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 2015, about 1 in 591 boys
- 2,109 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
HebrewEarly ChristianEnglishSpanishFrenchPortugueseHungarian
The family of the name
| French | Abel |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Abel |
| Italian | Abele |
| Portuguese | Abel |
| German | Abel |
| Hungarian | Ábel |
| Hebrew | Hevel |
Famous bearers
- Abel, son of Adam and Eve
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.