FastNamesAbigail
Hebrew name meaning "Derived from Hebrew Avigayil (אֲבִיגַיִל), meaning 'my father is joy' or 'cause of joy', composed of av ('father') and gil ('joy', 'rejoicing').". Ranked 41st for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Abigail
Derived from Hebrew Avigayil (אֲבִיגַיִל), meaning 'my father is joy' or 'cause of joy', composed of av ('father') and gil ('joy', 'rejoicing').
Linguistically, Abigail is classified under Hebrew naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "AB-ih-gayl".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Abigail has been given to a total of 413,263 girls. It has also been given to 672 boys.
Peak year: Abigail reached its highest relative share among girls in 2003, when 15,932 babies received the name (8,720 per million births).
All-time best rank: 4th place, first achieved in 2005.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 41st with 4,941 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 7th (down 34 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Abigail in the 2000s than in any other decade (150,926 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 133 |
| 1890s | 128 |
| 1900s | 136 |
| 1910s | 270 |
| 1920s | 322 |
| 1930s | 365 |
| 1940s | 647 |
| 1950s | 1,671 |
| 1960s | 2,411 |
| 1970s | 6,704 |
| 1980s | 20,658 |
| 1990s | 72,779 |
| 2000s | 150,926 |
| 2010s | 118,734 |
| 2020s | 37,379 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Abigail is most common in the US
Accounting for when Abigail was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Vermont: 2.4 times the national rate (1,034 births since 1910).
- Maine: 2.1 times the national rate (2,497 births since 1910).
- New Hampshire: 2.1 times the national rate (2,520 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 1.7 times the national rate (618 births since 1910).
- Rhode Island: 1.6 times the national rate (1,545 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Abigail?
About 407,000 living American girls and women share the name Abigail. Additionally, an estimated 660 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Abigail is 20 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Abigail
In the Hebrew Bible, Abigail was the wise and beautiful wife of Nabal the Carmelite. When Nabal foolishly provoked the wrath of future King David by withholding provisions, Abigail acted decisively, bringing supplies and speaking eloquently to David to prevent bloodshed. Following Nabal's death, David married Abigail in admiration of her counsel, making her one of the most celebrated heroines of the Old Testament.
The name spread throughout post-Reformation England and gained particular distinction in colonial New England among Puritan settlers. In American historical memory, the name is indelibly associated with First Lady Abigail Adams (1744–1818), an early champion of women's rights and education whose letters to her husband John Adams remain among the most celebrated political correspondences of the American founding era.
In official United States vital statistics, Abigail was a steady nineteenth-century choice before experiencing a mid-twentieth-century lull. In the late 1970s, it commenced an extraordinary renaissance, steadily climbing the charts to enter the national top ten in 2001. Abigail maintained top-ten status for twelve consecutive years through 2012, peaking at rank 4 in 2005 with over 15,000 newborn girls per year.
Notable people named Abigail
- Abigail Adams (1744–1818), First Lady of the United States and advisor to John Adams
- Abigail Breslin (1996–), American actress and singer
- Abigail Fillmore (1798–1853), First Lady of the United States
- Abigail Spencer (1981–), American actress
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 2.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 2.
- Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, Charles A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), p. 4.