Abigail
Meaningmy father is joy · Hebrew
- US rank
- #41
- Syllables
- 3
- Peak
- #4 in 2005
4,941 babies were named Abigail in the US in 2025. It has dropped 29 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Abigail you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Abigail
Abigail Breslin
American actress
Choose Abigail and your child shares a first name with Abigail Breslin, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Abigail, like who?” Abigail Breslin's Wikipedia article is available in 59 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Abigail Breslin on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 325 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Abigail, 4,941 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Abigail.
- HistoryAbigail has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Abigails, and counting.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 2005, when it ranked #4. Today it's #41, so it could be due a comeback.
- Then vs nowAbigail was 2.3× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 139 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 325.
- TrendAbigail has slipped 29 places over the last five years and now sits at #41. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- Where it's lovedAbigail is most popular in Alaska, where it ranks #12, followed by Delaware (#14) and Maine (#21). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn Hebrew, Abigail means “my father is joy”.
- OriginAbigail is the #2 most popular Irish girl name in the US. That's out of 2,411 Irish girl and unisex names in our list.
About the name Abigail
Abigail is a girl name of Irish origin meaning “my father is joy”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with A and ending in “-ail”. US birth records list Abigail for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked #4 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #41, with 4,941 babies.
Origin:Irish names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 102 | 9,796 girls |
| 1890s | 58 | 17,271 girls |
| 1900s | 47 | 21,084 girls |
| 1910s | 34 | 29,121 girls |
| 1920s | 27 | 37,023 girls |
| 1930s | 34 | 29,248 girls |
| 1940s | 44 | 22,763 girls |
| 1950s | 86 | 11,578 girls |
| 1960s | 133 | 7,524 girls |
| 1970s | 437 | 2,288 girls |
| 1980s | 1,196 | 836 girls |
| 1990s | 4,083 | 245 girls |
| 2000s | 8,169 | 122 girls |
| 2010s | 6,772 | 148 girls |
| 2020s | 3,840 | 260 girls |
More Irish girl names
- Unisex name: Riley · rye clearing
- Girl name: Maeve · she who intoxicates
- Unisex name: Kennedy · helmeted head
- Unisex name: Rylee · rye clearing
- Unisex name: Sloane · raider
- Unisex name: Alani · orange tree
- Girl name: Everleigh · boar clearing
- Girl name: Olive · olive tree
Questions about the name Abigail
What does the name Abigail mean?
Abigail means “my father is joy” in Hebrew.
What is the origin of the name Abigail?
Abigail has Irish roots in our records. Other Irish names include Riley, Maeve, Kennedy.
Is Abigail a boy or girl name?
Abigail is a girl name.
How popular is the name Abigail?
Abigail ranked #41 for US girls in 2025, given to 4,941 babies. Its best year was 2005 (#4).