Total births
66,037
Boys' name · since 1880
Abel
Abel has 66,037 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2015 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #220
- among boys today
- 66,037
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
66,037 babies have been named Abel since 1880, making it today's #220 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Abel has been recorded 66,037 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #220 nationally and more common than 98% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #220 among boys today
- 66,037 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Abel is currently the #220 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 66,037 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #220
- among boys today
- 66,037
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Abel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#220
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Abel was born in this single decade.
2015
Single peak year
3,245 babies were named Abel in 2015 - its busiest year on record.
How Abel compares
66,037 Top 3% higher than 97% of 14,294 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
Abel's all-time total is 180x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Abel | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 66,037 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,245 | 23 | 22,252 |
Abel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Abel splits its recorded history at 1953: 93% of all births land in the more recent half, 7% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1885 (6 births) -- compare that against the 2015 peak of 3,245 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Abel at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2015
Current rank
#220
Active since
1880
Abel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2015)
- 3,245
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Abel popularity over time - girls
161 total births recorded since 1975 (Abel as girls' name)
Abel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Abel's strongest decade.
23,554 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Abel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 107
1880s
107 births
- 1890s 118
1890s
118 births
- 1900s 121
1900s
121 births
- 1910s 559
1910s
559 births
- 1920s 881
1920s
881 births
- 1930s 939
1930s
939 births
- 1940s 1,225
1940s
1,225 births
- 1950s 2,088
1950s
2,088 births
- 1960s 2,665
1960s
2,665 births
- 1970s 3,528
1970s
3,528 births
- 1980s 4,730
1980s
4,730 births
- 1990s 6,484
1990s
6,484 births
- 2000s 8,364
2000s
8,364 births
- 2010s
2010s
23,554 births
- 2020s
2020s
10,674 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 23,554 births (36% of all-time use).
How Abel 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 Abel's total volume
Abel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Abel by state
Where Abel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 14,588 | 22.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 14,398 | 21.8% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 2,378 | 3.6% |
| #4 | Arizona | | 2,318 | 3.5% |
| #5 | New York | | 2,080 | 3.1% |
| #6 | Florida | | 2,064 | 3.1% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 1,341 | 2.0% |
| #8 | Colorado | | 1,225 | 1.9% |
California share of Abel's total US births 22.1%
Even split
14,588 of 66,037 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Abel appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Abel? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 66,037 babies named Abel. Today it holds rank #220 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2015, with 3,245 births.
When was Abel most popular? ▼
Abel was most popular in the 2010s decade with 23,554 total births. The single peak year was 2015.
Where is Abel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Abel are California (14,588 births), Texas (14,398 births), Illinois (2,378 births).
How long has the name Abel been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Abel since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Abel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Abe, Abelardo, Abelino, Abenezer, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Abel's data
- Abel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (23,554 total births) through the 2020s (10,674) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Abels (14,588 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Abel
Nearby Names Like Abel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Abel
Abe Boy
#2418 9,694 births
Abelardo Boy
#2965 4,816 births
Abelino Boy
873 births
Abenezer Boy
#11654 244 births
Abed Boy
#9237 219 births
Compare Abel side by side: Abel vs Abe Abel vs Abelardo Abel vs Abelino
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Abel
Joel #219
279,655 births · Peak 1985
Patrick #221
686,590 births · Peak 1964
Colter #218
10,705 births · Peak 2025
Rafael #222
89,379 births · Peak 2006
Maddox #217
47,119 births · Peak 2017
Griffin #223
51,051 births · Peak 2023
Oscar #216
213,098 births · Peak 2006
Brody #224
81,678 births · Peak 2008
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Abel: #220 Boys' Name - 66,037 Births, Peak 2015." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/abel. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Abel 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 June 2026.