How to say it
A · bra · ham
/ˈeɪ.brə.hæm/
Masculine
Abraham
Father of multitudes
What it means
Hebrew Avraham, traditionally read as 'father of multitudes' or 'father of nations.' The biblical patriarch through whom Jews, Christians, and Muslims trace their religious lineage.
Abraham comes from the Hebrew Avraham ('father of multitudes'), originally Abram ('exalted father') in Genesis before God's covenant renames him. He's the founding patriarch of Israel and a central figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (where he's Ibrahim). The English Abraham was steady through Puritan-era American naming, made historic by Lincoln (born 1809), and is now climbing again as part of the broader biblical revival. Abe is the universal short. The name carries the weight of three religious traditions and one defining US president.
Popularity over time
peaked at #124 in 1911, currently #209 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
- Nickname
Abe is the universal short; Bram is the Dutch and northern European form that crossed to English.
- Pop culture
Abraham Lincoln is the unavoidable American anchor; the biblical Abraham is the older one. Both flatter.
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.
- Abraham (Bible) Founding patriarch of Israel, three religions trace their lineage through him
- Abraham Lincoln 16th US president, Emancipation Proclamation
- Bram Stoker Irish author of Dracula, 1897 (Bram as Abraham short)
Spelling variants
- Avraham
- Ibrahim
- Bram
Names with the same feeling
See Abraham from another angle
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