Abel

Abel meaning

Abel is a Christian and international boy's name of Hebrew origin.

Breath, vapour (the same word as Hebrew hebel)

Abel is the English form of Hebrew Hebel, the name of the second son of Adam and Eve in Genesis 4, the shepherd whose offering God accepted and who was killed by his brother Cain. Strong's Concordance treats the name as the same word as hebel, which literally means a breath or vapour and, by extension, anything fleeting. Older scholars also suggested a link with an Assyrian word for 'son', but the breath sense is the one most name lists give. Indian Christian families, especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, have long used Abel as a short biblical name.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H1893 (same as H1892) · entry Hebel · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's H1893, Hebel (Bible Hub) · Strong's H1892, hebel (Bible Hub)

Famous namesakes

• Abel, son of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis

Popularity abroad

• #231 United States, boys 2025 (down 11 from 220 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #195 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

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