Boys' name · peaked in 2015
Abel name popularity since 1925
64,856 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Abel. Half of them were born in 2011 or earlier, so the typical Abel is about 15 years old in 2026. Abel peaked in 2015 as the #124 name for boys, and it ranked #231 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 64,856
- Named Abel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #231
- for boys in 2025 (1,525 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% boys
- 161 girls · 64,695 boys
- Most popular in
- New Mexico
- 3.22× its national share
Peak year is the year Abel made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Abel births per year, 1925–2025
2015 was the biggest year for Abel both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 2010 and 2015, Abel became 2.9× more common, from 1 in 1,700 baby boys to 1 in 591.
- Steepest fall: Between 2018 and 2023, its share of baby boys fell by 34%, from 1 in 677 to 1 in 1,030.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Abel's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Abel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Abel in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 444 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 939 | #605 |
| 1940s | 0 | 1,225 | #567 |
| 1950s | 0 | 2,088 | #504 |
| 1960s | 0 | 2,665 | #462 |
| 1970s | 11 | 3,528 | #396 |
| 1980s | 43 | 4,730 | #387 |
| 1990s | 12 | 6,484 | #340 |
| 2000s | 16 | 8,364 | #347 |
| 2010s | 42 | 23,554 | #124 |
| 2020–25 | 37 | 10,674 | #231 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
45.8% of babies named Abel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Abel is most popular
The index compares Abel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Abel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 3.22× | 1,107 |
| Texas | 2.89× | 14,112 |
| Arizona | 2.85× | 2,300 |
| Nevada | 2.81× | 624 |
| California | 2.21× | 14,545 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Abel and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Abel (this page) | 64,695 | 2015 |
| Abiel | 1,617 | 2024 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Abel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Abel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Abel (2015).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data