Abel

Did you know?

A few things about Abel you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Abel

Abel Gance

French film director and producer, writer and actor (1889-1981)

Choose Abel and your child shares a first name with Abel Gance, a French film director and producer, writer and actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Abel, like who?” Abel Gance's Wikipedia article is available in 47 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Abel Gance on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Studio Harcourt, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,120 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Abel, 1,525 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Abel would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryAbel has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Abels, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2015, when it reached #124.
• 📈Then vs nowAbel is 2.3× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,574 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 1,120.
• 🍂TrendAbel has slipped 50 places over the last five years and now sits at #231. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedAbel is the #148 boy name in 2 states, including New Mexico, Nevada and Nevada. It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Hebrew, Abel means “breath”. Our records link it to German and Hebrew roots.

About the name Abel

Abel is a boy name of German and Hebrew origin meaning “breath”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with A and ending in “-bel”. US birth records list Abel for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked #124 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #231, with 1,525 babies.

Origin:German namesHebrew names