NameRealm
Abel

Abel: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“breath, vapor”
Origin
Hebrew
Say it
AY-bəl · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

Biblical name from Hebrew Hevel. In Genesis, Abel is the second son of Adam and Eve.

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How popular is Abel?

2024491 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Abel in 20241,635

2024 rank#220 boys

Peak year2015

Total US babies since 188064,639

Abel has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Abel

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Noahrest; comfort · Hebrew
  • Jamessupplanter · Hebrew
  • Elijahmy God is Yahweh · Hebrew
  • JohnYahweh is gracious · Hebrew
  • Michaelwho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Benjaminson of the right hand · Hebrew
  • Levijoined, attached · Hebrew
  • DanielGod is my judge · Hebrew

Abel questions

What does the name Abel mean?

Abel means "breath, vapor". It comes from Hebrew. Biblical name from Hebrew Hevel. In Genesis, Abel is the second son of Adam and Eve.

Is Abel a boy or girl name?

Abel is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Abel?

1,635 US babies were named Abel in 2024. Its peak year was 2015.

How do you pronounce Abel?

Abel is usually pronounced AY-bəl.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.