Abigail
Abigail is a feminine given name. The name comes from the Biblical Hebrew: אֲבִיגַיִל / אֲבִיגָיִל ʾĂḇīḡayīl, meaning "my father's joy". It is also a surname.
Meaning & Origin of Abigail
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Abigail is a feminine given name. The name comes from the Biblical Hebrew: אֲבִיגַיִל / אֲבִיגָיִל ʾĂḇīḡayīl, meaning "my father's joy". It is also a surname.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Abigail
Abigail first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 12 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2003, when 15,932 Abigails were born — ranking #6 that year. As of 2026, Abigail ranks #39 for baby girls with 4,828 births, falling sharply (-38%). In total, more than 418K Abigails have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Abigail
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Abigail Adams née Smith (1744–1818), First Lady of the United States to president John Adams
- Abigail Abbot Bailey (1746–1815), American memoirist
- Abigail Bauleke (born 2001), American wheelchair basketball player
- Abigail Binay (born 1975), Filipina politician
- Abigail Breslin (born 1996), American actress
- Abigail Byskata (born 2007), Finnish ice hockey player
- Abigail Camilleri , Maltese politician
- Abi Carter (born 2002), American singer and musician
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Where is Abigail most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- GH63%
- Nigeria18%
- GT7%
- South Africa6%
- Argentina5%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Abigail
Phonetically similar names — useful when Abigail is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Abigails
- Apical
- Abaca
- Abal
- Abaco
- Avigail
- Abital
- Abacha
- Epical
- Epochal
- Jugale
- Ibogaine
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Abigail
What does the name Abigail mean?
How popular is Abigail in 2026?
When was Abigail most popular?
In which U.S. states is Abigail most popular?
Is Abigail a unisex name?
What names go well with Abigail?
About the name Abigail
Abigail is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 418K births in the dataset. Abigail's peak popularity came in 2003 when it ranked #4. Use the chart and map above to compare Abigail's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2003 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.