Boys' name · since 1880

Abe

Abe has 9,694 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1917 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#1,230 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,208 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
9,694
born since 1880
1910s
peak decade

9,694 babies have been named Abe since 1880, making it today's #2208 boys' name.

Social Security Administration records show Abe recorded 9,694 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #2208 nationally today, ahead of 84% of boys, peaking in the 1910s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #1,230 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,208 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 9,694 born since 1880
  • 1910s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Abe ranks #1,230 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,208 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 9,694 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.

#1,230 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,208 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
9,694
born since 1880
1910s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%84.1%
Abe vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Abe's 9,694 recorded births place it above 97.29% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

29 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

29 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Abe compares

9,694 Top 9% higher than 91% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Abe's all-time total is 26x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Abe Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 9,694 369 358,536
Peak-year births 280 34 22,252

Abe's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Abe's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 33% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 67%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1992, with only 17 births recorded -- set against the 1917 peak of 280, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Abe popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1917)
280
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0100200300 188018991918193719561975199420132025 64

Abe by decade

1910s is the heaviest window (2,099 births, 22% of the file).

1910s was Abe's strongest decade.

2,099 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.

Abe births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1910s at 2,099 births (22% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Abe compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Abe's total volume

Abe vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -111, 3.4%-146, 1.8%-122, 5.3%-120, 2.8%-102, 11.3%-138, 1.7%-146, 6.2%-55, 4%-146, 2%-146, 3.7%-57, 4.4%-45, 6.4%-136, 1.5%-145, 3.5%-35, 6.9%Abe-146, 2.9%Abe
Abe vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Abe by state

Where Abe concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Abe
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
1,801 18.6%
#2 Texas
270 2.8%
#3 Pennsylvania
268 2.8%
#4 Ohio
258 2.7%
#5 New Jersey
247 2.5%
#6 Illinois
221 2.3%
#7 Alabama
185 1.9%
#8 Mississippi
182 1.9%
New York share of Abe's total US births 18.6%
Even split

1,801 of 9,694 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 29 reporting states.

Abe appears in 29 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Abe? ▼
9,694 babies have been named Abe since 1880. All-time, it sits at #1,230 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,208 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1917 with 280 births.
Where does Abe sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Abe ranks #1,230 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,208 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Abe most popular? ▼
Abe was most popular in the 1910s decade with 2,099 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Abe most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Abe are New York (1,801 births), Texas (270 births), Pennsylvania (268 births).
How long has the name Abe been used? ▼
Records for Abe go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Abe? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Abel, Abelardo, Abelino, Abenezer, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Abe's data

  • Abe's decade-level peak was the 1910s (2,099 total births); usage has since declined to 356 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • New York records the most Abes (1,801 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Abe

Nearby Names Like Abe

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Abe

Abel Boy
#231 66,037 births
Abelardo Boy
#2843 4,816 births
Abelino Boy
873 births
Abenezer Boy
#9371 244 births
Abed Boy
219 births

Compare Abe side by side: Abe vs Abel Abe vs Abelardo Abe vs Abelino

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Abe

Sylvester #2207
43,230 births · Peak 1920
Raleigh #2209
9,279 births · Peak 1921
Kairav #2206
448 births · Peak 2025
Elam #2210
2,940 births · Peak 2015
Hero #2205
806 births · Peak 2021
Gannon #2211
6,677 births · Peak 2014
Eastyn #2204
1,139 births · Peak 2021
Mahmoud #2212
2,739 births · Peak 2018

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Abe: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Abe draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.