US rank #838 Boys' name Peak 2024 9,178 births

Abner — #838 US boys' name

9,178 babies named Abner in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2641890s2071900s2151910s6831920s6911930s4191940s3281950s2661960s3051970s2761980s4541990s7272000s13432010s18612020s1139
#838
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 94% of names given to boys today.

2010s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Abner was born in this single decade.

2024
Single peak year

293 babies were named Abner in 2024 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Abner

The Social Security Administration has registered 9,178 babies named Abner between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Abner currently holds the #838 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2024, when 293 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Abner performed strongest in the 2010s, accumulating 1,861 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Abner shows notable generational variation in parental adoption. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 1,033 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Abner in 33 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Abner in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 9,178 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Abner at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

9,178

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2024

293 births that year

Strongest decade: 2010s

Current rank

#838

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Abner popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2024)
293
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
0100200300400 202420051986196719481929191018911880 27

Abner by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2010s
Peak decade
2010s
1,861 births that decade — 20% of Abner's all-time total
1880s2641890s2071900s2151910s6831920s6911930s4191940s3281950s2661960s3051970s2761980s4541990s7272000s13432010s18612020s1139

Abner by state

Where Abner concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Abner
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
1,033 11.3%
#2 Texas
935 10.2%
#3 Pennsylvania
546 5.9%
#4 New York
545 5.9%
#5 Florida
307 3.3%
#6 North Carolina
206 2.2%
#7 Georgia
199 2.2%
#8 Maryland
110 1.2%
California share of Abner's total US births 11.3%
Even split

1,033 of 9,178 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 33 reporting states.

Abner appears in 33 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Abner?
9,178 babies have been named Abner since 1880. It currently ranks #838 among boys. The peak year was 2024 with 293 births.
When was Abner most popular?
Abner was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,861 total births. The single peak year was 2024.
Where is Abner most popular?
The top states for the name Abner are California (1,033 births), Texas (935 births), Pennsylvania (546 births).
How long has the name Abner been used?
Abner has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Abner?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Abnel, Abney, Abniel. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.