Abe
Abe was given to 64 boys in 2025, #2,207 among boys’ names; 9,694 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 3,290 Americans named Abe and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (34% of everyone recorded); the median is 35 years old and half are between 13 and 64.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Abe by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Abe mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Abe is “a diminutive of the male given name Abraham, from Hebrew.”
A shortening from Abraham. In the slang sense for money, refers to the picture of Abraham Lincoln on the currency.
/eɪb/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Abe?
#2,207 among boys’ names, 2025
Abe fell from #1,846 in 2015 to #2,207 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 41.7 to 37.5 per million.
280 babies in 1917, the peak
Abe peaked in 1917, when 280 boys were given it, #324 among boys’ names. The 64 births of 2025 are 23% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 64 | #2,207 | 0.04 |
| 2024 | 57 | #2,419 | 0.03 |
| 2023 | 59 | #2,345 | 0.03 |
| 2022 | 59 | #2,379 | 0.03 |
| 2021 | 64 | #2,194 | 0.04 |
| 2020 | 53 | #2,436 | 0.03 |
| 2019 | 81 | #1,849 | 0.05 |
| 2018 | 81 | #1,855 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 74 | #1,936 | 0.04 |
| 2016 | 61 | #2,208 | 0.03 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 80 | #1,846 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 60 | #2,228 | 0.03 |
| 2013 | 63 | #2,112 | 0.03 |
| 2012 | 49 | #2,516 | 0.03 |
| 2011 | 51 | #2,436 | 0.03 |
| 2010 | 55 | #2,323 | 0.03 |
| 2009 | 57 | #2,286 | 0.03 |
| 2008 | 49 | #2,541 | 0.02 |
| 2007 | 52 | #2,443 | 0.03 |
| 2006 | 44 | #2,658 | 0.02 |
| 2005 | 41 | #2,649 | 0.02 |
| 2004 | 37 | #2,784 | 0.02 |
| 2003 | 57 | #2,002 | 0.03 |
| 2002 | 44 | #2,334 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 42 | #2,343 | 0.02 |
| 2000 | 31 | #2,858 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 23 | #3,372 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 29 | #2,781 | 0.02 |
| 1997 | 27 | #2,819 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 28 | #2,675 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 20 | #3,298 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 19 | #3,465 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 18 | #3,495 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 17 | #3,599 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 23 | #2,822 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 25 | #2,623 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 23 | #2,684 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 25 | #2,362 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 28 | #2,111 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 21 | #2,508 | 0.01 |
| 1985 | 27 | #2,070 | 0.01 |
| 1984 | 19 | #2,528 | 0.01 |
| 1983 | 27 | #1,954 | 0.02 |
| 1982 | 34 | #1,699 | 0.02 |
| 1981 | 34 | #1,694 | 0.02 |
| 1980 | 36 | #1,619 | 0.02 |
| 1979 | 24 | #2,104 | 0.01 |
| 1978 | 25 | #1,965 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 43 | #1,391 | 0.03 |
| 1976 | 36 | #1,501 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 40 | #1,378 | 0.03 |
| 1974 | 37 | #1,409 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 38 | #1,354 | 0.02 |
| 1972 | 34 | #1,453 | 0.02 |
| 1971 | 41 | #1,309 | 0.02 |
| 1970 | 34 | #1,434 | 0.02 |
| 1969 | 31 | #1,440 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 33 | #1,339 | 0.02 |
| 1967 | 24 | #1,572 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 34 | #1,298 | 0.02 |
| 1965 | 36 | #1,271 | 0.02 |
| 1964 | 44 | #1,160 | 0.02 |
| 1963 | 47 | #1,120 | 0.02 |
| 1962 | 51 | #1,068 | 0.02 |
| 1961 | 63 | #966 | 0.03 |
| 1960 | 60 | #980 | 0.03 |
| 1959 | 65 | #949 | 0.03 |
| 1958 | 63 | #955 | 0.03 |
| 1957 | 66 | #927 | 0.03 |
| 1956 | 52 | #1,044 | 0.02 |
| 1955 | 60 | #970 | 0.03 |
| 1954 | 58 | #972 | 0.03 |
| 1953 | 57 | #949 | 0.03 |
| 1952 | 49 | #1,026 | 0.03 |
| 1951 | 45 | #1,069 | 0.02 |
| 1950 | 46 | #1,036 | 0.03 |
| 1949 | 62 | #871 | 0.03 |
| 1948 | 51 | #971 | 0.03 |
| 1947 | 56 | #937 | 0.03 |
| 1946 | 53 | #911 | 0.03 |
| 1945 | 58 | #817 | 0.04 |
| 1944 | 58 | #824 | 0.04 |
| 1943 | 55 | #897 | 0.04 |
| 1942 | 63 | #812 | 0.05 |
| 1941 | 66 | #762 | 0.05 |
| 1940 | 54 | #858 | 0.05 |
| 1939 | 56 | #811 | 0.05 |
| 1938 | 55 | #834 | 0.05 |
| 1937 | 63 | #771 | 0.06 |
| 1936 | 71 | #710 | 0.07 |
| 1935 | 59 | #803 | 0.06 |
| 1934 | 76 | #697 | 0.07 |
| 1933 | 67 | #745 | 0.07 |
| 1932 | 83 | #668 | 0.08 |
| 1931 | 78 | #677 | 0.08 |
| 1930 | 86 | #672 | 0.08 |
| 1929 | 62 | #826 | 0.06 |
| 1928 | 88 | #669 | 0.08 |
| 1927 | 140 | #516 | 0.12 |
| 1926 | 135 | #520 | 0.12 |
| 1925 | 116 | #577 | 0.10 |
| 1924 | 174 | #465 | 0.15 |
| 1923 | 173 | #468 | 0.16 |
| 1922 | 176 | #466 | 0.16 |
| 1921 | 231 | #402 | 0.21 |
| 1920 | 207 | #408 | 0.19 |
| 1919 | 264 | #349 | 0.27 |
| 1918 | 256 | #366 | 0.25 |
| 1917 | 280 | #324 | 0.30 |
| 1916 | 260 | #329 | 0.29 |
| 1915 | 272 | #311 | 0.32 |
| 1914 | 225 | #301 | 0.34 |
| 1913 | 202 | #271 | 0.39 |
| 1912 | 172 | #266 | 0.40 |
| 1911 | 94 | #267 | 0.42 |
| 1910 | 74 | #282 | 0.38 |
| 1909 | 67 | #275 | 0.41 |
| 1908 | 57 | #287 | 0.37 |
| 1907 | 65 | #260 | 0.44 |
| 1906 | 50 | #281 | 0.38 |
| 1905 | 65 | #241 | 0.49 |
| 1904 | 52 | #264 | 0.41 |
| 1903 | 58 | #239 | 0.49 |
| 1902 | 54 | #252 | 0.44 |
| 1901 | 48 | #249 | 0.45 |
| 1900 | 56 | #274 | 0.37 |
| 1899 | 39 | #276 | 0.37 |
| 1898 | 67 | #215 | 0.55 |
| 1897 | 58 | #222 | 0.51 |
| 1896 | 51 | #254 | 0.43 |
| 1895 | 54 | #242 | 0.46 |
| 1894 | 50 | #240 | 0.43 |
| 1893 | 43 | #266 | 0.38 |
| 1892 | 53 | #244 | 0.43 |
| 1891 | 40 | #251 | 0.40 |
| 1890 | 49 | #237 | 0.44 |
| 1889 | 39 | #266 | 0.35 |
| 1888 | 46 | #260 | 0.38 |
| 1887 | 37 | #268 | 0.36 |
| 1886 | 50 | #235 | 0.45 |
| 1885 | 47 | #241 | 0.44 |
| 1884 | 45 | #256 | 0.39 |
| 1883 | 43 | #245 | 0.41 |
| 1882 | 50 | #235 | 0.44 |
| 1881 | 36 | #262 | 0.36 |
| 1880 | 50 | #234 | 0.45 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Abe a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Abe has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 146 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Abe: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Abe, and how old are they?
3,290 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 34% of the 9,694 Americans ever recorded as Abe. The median Abe alive today is 35 years old; half are between 13 and 64.
The 2020 Census counted 5,258 people named Abe (97 women and girls, 5,161 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 3,283 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.6 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census records the name people give, which for many is the short form Abe rather than the name on their birth record, and it counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 212 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 693 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 482 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 368 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 677 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 850 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Abe born?
The states with the most babies named Abe are New York, Texas and Pennsylvania, with 56% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 1,801 | #716 | 2.5× |
| Texas | 270 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 268 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Ohio | 258 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| New Jersey | 247 | #577 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 221 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Alabama | 185 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Mississippi | 182 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Louisiana | 170 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Georgia | 127 | not ranked | 0.5× |
Where Abe is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Abe is most over-represented in New York: since 1910 it was given 2.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Abe with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 6 names spelled alike, given to 11,471 babies since 1880, Abe is the most given (85% of them). In 2025 it was given to 64 of their 113 babies (57%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Abe
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Abe and names like it
- Compare Abe and AbieBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sAbe peaked in 1917.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Abe since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Abe: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1917The year the most babies were named Abe.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Abe alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with AMost given first.