Meaning of the nameAbel
- Male
- Hebrew origin
- A-bel
- Biblical name
Abel is a masculine name of Hebrew origin, that of the son of Adam and Eve in Genesis, which possibly means 'breath'.
Meaning
“breath, exhalation (possibly)”
Source: Wiktionary: Abel · Behind the Name: Abel · Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Abel
- People (2022)
- 22,967
- Rank in Brazil
- #975
- Median age
- 48 years
- 2010 Census
- 26,891
- people
Abel in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Abel, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1980s (3,956 people).
165 women 22,802 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Abel is most common
States with the highest share of people named Abel in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Roraima 0.023%
- Amapá 0.016%
- Paraná 0.016%
- Mato Grosso do Sul 0.015%
- Rondônia 0.014%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 4,888 | 0.011% |
| Minas Gerais | 2,474 | 0.012% |
| Paraná | 1,785 | 0.016% |
| Bahia | 1,759 | 0.012% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 1,580 | 0.010% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 1,133 | 0.010% |
| Pernambuco | 997 | 0.011% |
| Pará | 984 | 0.012% |
| Santa Catarina | 891 | 0.012% |
| Goiás | 807 | 0.011% |
| Maranhão | 511 | 0.008% |
| Ceará | 510 | 0.006% |
| Amazonas | 510 | 0.013% |
| Espírito Santo | 500 | 0.013% |
| Paraíba | 472 | 0.012% |
| Mato Grosso | 435 | 0.012% |
| Piauí | 428 | 0.013% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 400 | 0.015% |
| Alagoas | 344 | 0.011% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 332 | 0.010% |
| Sergipe | 243 | 0.011% |
| Distrito Federal | 240 | 0.009% |
| Rondônia | 225 | 0.014% |
| Tocantins | 184 | 0.012% |
| Roraima | 148 | 0.023% |
| Amapá | 115 | 0.016% |
| Acre | 72 | 0.009% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Abel
According to Wiktionary, Abel came into Portuguese through Old Galician-Portuguese, from Latin Abel, from Greek Ἅβελ and from Hebrew הֶבֶל. Behind the Name gives the meaning 'breath'; Wiktionary says the name perhaps comes from the Hebrew word hevel, 'breath, vapor; vanity', or from Akkadian ablu, 'son'. The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil (Dictionary of Names in Use in Brazil) gathers three readings: for Machado, a controversial form, perhaps from ablu, 'son'; for Guérios, from Hebrew Habel, 'breath, exhalation'; for Nascentes, from Hebrew Havel. In Genesis, it is the name of the second son of Adam and Eve. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 22,967 people named Abel, with a median age of 48.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Abel · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
- Behind the Name: Abel · behindthename.com · meaning
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Abel · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · meaning
Questions about the name Abel
What does the name Abel mean?
Abel means “breath, exhalation (possibly)”, according to Wiktionary and Behind the Name.
How many people are named Abel in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 22,967 people with the first name Abel, which ranks it number 975 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1980s.
Is Abel a boy's or a girl's name?
Abel is a male name: in the 2022 Census, 165 women and 22,802 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Abel?
Abel is a name of Hebrew origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Abel most common?
Proportionally, in Roraima: 0.023% of the state's population is named Abel (148 people), according to the 2022 Census.
Names that also mean life
See allMore names of Hebrew origin
See allSpotted a mistake? Report a correction for Abel with a source. See the methodology.