Abel - Meaning of Abel

What does Abel mean?

Pronounce
Abel

[ 2 syll. a-bel, ab-el ] The baby boy name Abel is pronounced in English as EY-BahL, in Portuguese as ah-BEHL, or in Spanish as aa-BEHL †.

1: Abel is used predominantly in the English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish languages, and it is derived from Hebrew origins. The origin of the name is obscure; it could be from Hevel (Hebrew), of the element 'hevel' (meaning breath, vapor) thus suggesting vanity or worthlessness, or else it could be of Assyrian roots. In the Bible, Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve, murdered in a fit of jealousy by his brother Cain.

The name was first used by English speakers in the Middle Ages. After the Reformation, it was adopted by the Puritans, who also used Nab as a pet form. Known as a pre-Christian martyr, Abel is invoked by Catholics as a saint in the litany for the dying. In literature, the name is borne by Abel Drugger, nicknamed Nab, in Ben Jonson's comedy The Alchemist (1610), and Abel Magwitch in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860-61). The name Abelia (French) is the female version of Abel.

Aapeli (Finnish), Abele (Italian), Abelson (English), Adal, Apera, Avel (Russian), Avele, Ábel (Hungarian), Hebel (Hebrew), and Hevel (English and Hebrew) are variants of Abel.

2: Abel's language of origin is Assyrian. It is a biblical name derived from the word aplu meaning 'son'. The generic name has been used in the Old Testament of the Bible.

In addition, Abel is a contraction of the name Abelard (English).

See also the related form, the name Abelard.

See also the related categories, martyr (death), puritans, english, portuguese, son (heir), brother, christian (missionary), element, biblical, hebrew, obscure, assyrian, spanish, catholics, french, german, literature, and adam.

Abel is a popular baby boy name, and it is also considered rather trendy. The name has been increasing in popularity since the 1900s. At the modest height of its usage in 2015, 0.159% of baby boys were given the name Abel. It had a ranking of #125 then. In 2018, it ranked at #146 with a usage of 0.138%, and it was the most widely used within all boy names in its family.

Baby names that sound like Abel include Abell, Aybel, Aapeli, Abele, Abiell, Able, Abul, Afla, Ahbiel, Ahbiell, Ashbel, Evel, Abeel, Abelo, Abiel, Abyell, Apelio, Apollo, Apolo, and Appollo.

† Pronunciation for Abel: EY as in "ate (EY.T)" ; B as in "be (B.IY)" ; AH as in "mud (M.AH.D)" ; L as in "lay (L.EY)" ; EH as in "ebb (EH.B)" ; AA as in "odd (AA.D)"

A famous person named Abel is Explorer, Abel Tasman, born 1603 - 10 October 1659, Lutjegast, Dutch Republic.