How to say it
A · bel
/ˈeɪ.bəl/
Masculine
Abel
Breath, vapor
What it means
Hebrew Hevel, 'breath' or 'vanity, fleeting.' The biblical Abel was Adam and Eve's second son, killed by his brother Cain — the first death in Genesis.
Abel comes from the Hebrew Hevel ('breath, vapor, fleeting'), the same word that opens Ecclesiastes ('vanity of vanities'). In Genesis Abel is Adam and Eve's second son, a shepherd, killed by his older brother Cain — the first death in scripture. The name carried particular weight in early Christian tradition as a type of the suffering righteous. The English Abel has been steady for centuries; it surged in the late 2000s alongside the broader Old Testament revival. It's been in the US top 100 since 2018. Single syllable doesn't shorten further.
Popularity over time
peaked at #124 in 2015, currently #231 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
The biblical story is the unavoidable reference; East of Eden (Steinbeck, 1952) is the strongest English-language literary anchor.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Abel (Bible) Second son of Adam and Eve, killed by his brother Cain
Spelling variants
- Abel
- Avel
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