Abel
Top 1000
About Abel
Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing.
Abel has literary connections to the novels of Dickens and Trollope, and is also one of the few well-known Old Testament names not plagued by overuse. Having been chosen for their second son by Amy Pohler and Will Arnett could give it a real popularity bounce.
Abel's namesakes include two movie directors, Abel Gance and Abel Ferrara, and a pop singer, Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd.
As of October 2026, Abel ranked #231 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #124 in 2015, Nameberry popularity #227.
Editor's take: The name Abel is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "breath".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #164 | 2,572 | 1,339 |
| 2015 | #124 | 3,244 | 1,692.5 |
| 2016 | #137 | 3,044 | 1,604 |
| 2017 | #145 | 2,712 | 1,465.2 |
| 2018 | #146 | 2,682 | 1,476.7 |
| 2019 | #158 | 2,467 | 1,375 |
| 2020 | #181 | 2,130 | 1,234 |
| 2021 | #195 | 1,954 | 1,116.9 |
| 2022 | #215 | 1,766 | 1,011.5 |
| 2023 | #220 | 1,653 | 966.3 |
| 2024 | #220 | 1,627 | 944.3 |
| 2025 | #231 | 1,525 | 892.8 |
World rankings
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Abel on lists
Famous Abels
- Abel
Biblical son of Adam and Eve
- Saint Abel
Bishop of Reims, France
- Abel
King of Denmark
- Abel Janszoon Tasman
Dutch discoverer of Tasmania and New Zealand
- Abel Parker Upshur
15th U.S. Secretary of State
- Abęl Makkonen Tesfaye aka The Weeknd
Canadian singer,songwriter
- Abel Gance
French film director
- Abel Ferrara
American film director
- Abel Pacheco
former President of Costa Rica
- Andrzej Popławski (Abel)
Polish archbishop of Lublin and Chełm
- Adam (Abel) Korzeniowski
Polish composer
- Abel Talamántez
American Latin singer
- Abel Wolman
American inventor and scientist
- Abel Smith
birth name of Ned Rocknroll, husband of English actress Kate Winslet
- Abel James Arnett (b. 2010)
son of actors Amy Poehler and Will Arnett
Abel in pop culture
- Abel
biblical son of Adam and Eve
- Stone of Abel
in Ancient Israel (1 Samuel 6:18)
- Abel Teller
character on TV's "Sons of Anarchy"
- Abel Nightroad
character in anime "Trinity Blood"
- Abel Rosnovski
character in Jeffrey Archer's "Kane and Abel"
- Abel Gideon
character on TV's "Hannibal"
- Abel Bodey
character in "Sims" series
- Abel Magwitch
character in Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations"
- Abel
character in the arcade game "Street Fighter IV"
- Abel
character in DC Comics House of Mystery series
- Abel
character in the Battle Arena Toshinden video game series
- Abel
main character in W.H. Hudson's "Green Mansions"
- Abel
character in comic strip "Motley's Crew"
- Abel
character in Shawn Levy's "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian"
- Abel
character in Claudia Gray's science fiction novel, Defy the Stars
- Abel Morales
character in film "A Most Violent Year"