Abel
How to say it: AY-bul · /ˈeɪbəl/
From Hebrew Hevel meaning 'breath' or 'vanity'; the biblical son of Adam and Eve, representing innocence.
Abel was the 250th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 1,525 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 2010s, its births are down about 53% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #337 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #250 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 1,525 |
| Share of births | 1 in 2,173 |
| Peak decade | 2010s |
| Change over 10 years | −53% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #337 |
| In France, 2025 | #112 among boys’ names, 610 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Abel climbed to a high in the 2010s and stays close to that level now. Gentle slipping is expected in the near future.
What goes with it
With soft sounds and crisp edges, Abel feels calm and rooted in biblical tradition. Abe works as an easy short form, while Seth shares its style.
Middle names that flow with Abel →
Nicknames
- Abe
Honouring a Abel in the family
- Abepet form
- Albertequivalent
- Avrahamequivalent
- Albertoequivalent
- Albrechtequivalent
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Abel is about 1 in 91.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish.
In France: #112 for boys in 2025.
England and Wales: #195. Ireland: #433.
Famous people named Abel
- Abel Tasman (1603–1659)Dutch seafarer, explorer and merchant
- Abel Hernández (born 1990)Uruguayan association football player
- Abel Aguilar (born 1985)Colombian association football player
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
Keep exploring
About as popular as Abel
In the same lists
Find names you'll both love, starting with Abel
The one-minute style quiz.