Abigail
Abigail was the 41st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 4,941 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 2003 (15,932). Over the last ten years it has moved down 34 places. More babies were named Abigail in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning 'my father's joy' (traditional) · Hebrew
Say it AB-ih-gayl /ˈæbɪɡeɪl/
- Rank in 2025
- #41 girls, down 29 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,941girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200315,932 babies
- Total since 1880
- 413,935babies recorded
What does the name Abigail mean?
Abigail is a Hebrew name from the Bible, where Abigail is the wife of Nabal and later of King David. It is usually explained as 'my father's joy' or 'father of joy'. DMNES notes that Dutch, English and French Protestants took it up in the 16th century.
אֲבִיגַיִל (Biblical Hebrew, “Avigayil; usually 'my father's joy'”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Hebrew elements are clear (av 'father'). The second element's sense ('joy, rejoicing') is the standard reading but is not certain.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean joy.
Nicknames for Abigail
The usual nicknames for Abigail are Abby, Abbie and Gail. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Abigail in the last five years, 8 were named Abby, against 13 twenty years earlier. Gail is also gaining on the full name.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abby | Traditional | #731 | 2,366 |
| Abbie | Traditional | #1,652 | 524 |
| Gail | Traditional | #8,535 | 83 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Abigails go by each one.
Abigail popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 672 since 1976.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #41 | 4,941 |
| 2020 | #12 | 7,917 |
| 2010 | #7 | 14,257 |
| 2000 | #14 | 13,094 |
| 1990 | #90 | 3,719 |
| 1980 | #176 | 1,577 |
| 1970 | #526 | 362 |
| 1960 | #673 | 228 |
| 1950 | #824 | 112 |
| 1940 | #1,035 | 48 |
| 1930 | #1,569 | 25 |
| 1920 | #1,375 | 33 |
| 1910 | #1,110 | 16 |
| 1900 | #1,008 | 14 |
| 1890 | #940 | 9 |
| 1880 | #492 | 12 |
How popular is Abigail, counting every spelling?
Abigail is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #45 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #41 for Abigail on its own. Together these spellings went to 5,100 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail | 4,941 | #41 | 29,462 |
| Abbigail | 39 | #3,780 | 275 |
| Abigaelle | 36 | #3,975 | 177 |
| Abigael | 22 | #5,555 | 173 |
| Abigayle | 27 | #4,878 | 151 |
| Abbygail | 17 | #6,547 | 126 |
| Abygail | 18 | #6,325 | 121 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Abigail?
4,941 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Abigail (1.37 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Abigail born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 39. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Abigail.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Abigail?
About 406,100 people born in the US named Abigail are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 12 and 27. That makes Abigail mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Abigail by state
How common Abigail was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (2.6×), Wyoming (2.5×), New Hampshire (2.2×), Delaware (2.1×), Maine (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Abigail: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Abigail, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Abigail · Sibling names for Abigail
Questions about the name Abigail
What does Abigail mean?
Abigail means “'my father's joy' (traditional)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Abigail?
Abigail was the 41st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 4,941 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 2003 (15,932). Over the last ten years it has moved down 34 places. More babies were named Abigail in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Abigail a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Abigail in the US.
Where is Abigail most popular?
In 2021–2025, Abigail was most common in Alaska (9.53 per 1,000 girls), followed by Wyoming and New Hampshire.