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.
- #421 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #231 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 66,037
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
66,037 babies have been named Abel since 1880, making it today's #231 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Abel has been recorded 66,037 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #231 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.
- #421 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #231 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 66,037 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Abel ranks #421 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #231 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 66,037 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #421 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #231 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 66,037
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Abel's 66,037 recorded births place it above 99.07% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Abel compares
66,037 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Abel's all-time total is 179x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Abel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 66,037 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,245 | 34 | 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 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
2010s is the heaviest window (23,554 births, 36% of the file).
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 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% |
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
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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
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
Compare Abel side by side: Abel vs Abe Abel vs Abelardo Abel vs Abelino
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Abel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Abel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2015)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
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 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 August 2026.