Abel Tasman National Park (Photo credit: bdearth)
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on August 23, 2008, and substantially revised and republished on August 6, 2012.
Isaac. Elijah. Noah. Choosing son’s name from the Good Book has been all the rage in recent years. So why have so few parents have rediscovered this one?
Thanks to Rocking Fetal for suggesting today’s Name of the Day: Abel.
You don’t even have to look far into the Bible before you find the tale of Abel and his big brother Cain – it’s right there in Genesis. It’s not exactly a warm and fuzzy tale. Abel is the world’s first murder victim, at the hand of his jealous brother.
The name’s origins and meaning are open to debate. Possibilities include:
- The Hebrew hevel – breath. Some argue that the word signifies something that is hard to capture or express.
- The Assyrian ablu, son, is another possible source.
- Others suggest that the sad story of Cain and Abel was borrowed from a Sumerian tale about the conflict between shepherds (represented by Abel) and farmers (Team Cain). There is an Arabic word that may have meant herdsman back in the day – ibil – and could’ve influenced Abel’s name.
- He might have evolved separately as a short form of Albert or Abelard.
Abel shares his sound with the word able, from the Latin habere, to hold. Over the years, it has evolved to mean skilled, capable, qualified. It’s a positive association, even if it’s not etymologically linked.
The name has been bestowed steadily throughout history, and was a favorite of the Puritans. Notable figures include:
- Saint Abel lived in the 700s and served as Bishop of Reims.
- King Abel of Denmark reigned in the 13th century.
- Abel Tasman explored the world in the 1640s and lent his surname to Tasmania.
- Charles Dickens’ 1861 novel Great Expectations included the character Abel Magwitch, a key figure in Pip’s story.
- French film director Abel Gance worked in the 1920s.
He’s also a surname. You’ll find an Abel crater on the moon, named for German astrophysicist Tom Abel. The equivalent of a Nobel prize in mathematics is the Abel Prize, bestowed annually by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and named in honor of celebrated 19th century Norwegian mathematician Niels Abel.
While Abel was never as common as John or James, it never fell out of use completely. He’s appeared in the US Top 1000 every year except 1905. In 2008, he ranked #360, about where he’d stood for two decades.
Today, Abel is on the upswing. He climbed to #237 in 2011, boosted in part by comedy power couple Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. Their younger son was named Abel in 2010. He’s also the name of Jax’s son on Sons of Anarchy. The baby’s kidnapping and eventual return are a major part of the second and third seasons, which aired in 2009 and 2010.
While some may find Abel’s status as victim hard to overlook, there’s far more to the name than the Biblical reference. Abel sounds smart and unexpected. He shares the popular long a sound of Mason and Jayden, but he doesn’t seem especially trendy. With choices like Jeremiah, Josiah, and Levi in the US Top 100, Abel doesn’t feel especially religious, either. If you’re after a name that is on-trend, straightforward, and yet not overly used, he’s a great option. He’s also portable, used in most European languages.
Just don’t name his brother Cain.
I love the name!! I have an Abel. He’s a wonderful little boy. I know this post is old but I enjoyed the read. Thanks!
I really, really like Abel! I don’t know if we’ll ever use him as we are planning to use Atlas at this point and have other brother names picked out that are ranked ahead of Abel, but who knows? I’d love to meet a little Abel. Great post!
Abel’s never been one of my favorites. I can’t help but think of one of my old pastor’s favorite worship songs (“He is Able”). I do however like Abelard, which I encountered as a young girl reading Dodie Smith’s “I Capture the Castle”. Very dashing.
Wow, I didn’t realize I suggested this all the way back in 2008. This was the name I had picked out for my 2010 baby, and I don’t ever remember questioning it. Of course, that baby ended up being a girl. 🙂 I still consider the name from time to time, but it sounds punny (think willing and able) with my daughter’s name. I’m not sure I could do that. I was surprised with Abel’s leap in 2011 because no one ever seemed very enthusiastic about it. I didn’t think Amy Poehler had that much pull either. I really bet it was Son’s of Anarchy. I’ve never seen it, but I’ve noticed FX shows tend to boost names. A friend’s sister used it this past year. I know I would have been happy with it if I used it, but these days I think I prefer Abraham a little bit more.
Thanks so much, AM! I’m in love w/ this name thanks to YCCII’s suggestion of it as an alternative to Abram. It’s now at the very top of my list. I never gave it much thought thanks to the fratricide issue. It took me a while to consider it usable. One of my favorite aspects of the name is its long and steady history.
My main concern w/ the name has moved past wondering if my boys would string an Abel-brother up by his onesie to the issue of spelling. Considering the problems I’ve had w/ Ezra – totally unexpected by me – I think he would be Able to many name civilians. I think I could live w/ this. I actually like the able link. It makes it sound almost like a male virtue name.
Did you notice the mention of Ezra? YCCII certainly did. There are actually evangelists in my family, so I think Abel would be a natural addition. 😀 I also believe that because of the less common biblical names gaining ground, they wouldn’t illicit the *gasp* they did at one time. Weren’t Ethan and Joshua craaaazy back in the day? Elijah, Isaiah, Josiah, and Caleb are all pretty freakin’ high. I was shocked at the placement of Malachi and Ezekiel on the SSA. Pretty soon, those that want something “different” will need to go w/ Naphtali. Thank again. 🙂
I think Another encapsulated it when she said “I put Abel with Ezra.” Rockingfetal, I’m telling you, it’s perfect!
I like him. Not enough to use him, mind you but I find him charming. I’m dismayed by all the Cain/Cane/Kain/Kanes I see online. “Cool to be bad” has never been something I’ve bought into. “Hip to be square”, that’s me. 😀
Abel’s strong, simple, masculine & handsome. Rather snappy too. I think Abel’s pretty cool, himself.
Eh. I don’t love it. I know a lot of people that like Cain/Kaine/Kane right now, interestingly enough. I put Abel with Ezra, Ira, Japheth, Jethro, Isaiah, Elijah, and those types. Too biblical for me. I like my biblical names to be more common: Daniel, Joahua, Ethan, Nathaniel, Simon, Jacob, etc. The others sound like the children of an evangelist. Not for me. Too far out.
I think the link to the Sumerian story is pretty interesting! Thanks for digging that up.