Abner
Abner is a given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It is the name of Abner from the Bible, first cousin to King Saul and commander-in-chief of his army. In the United States, it was moderately popular as a given name, but declined in the first half of the 20th century, rarely being used for newborns after the 1930s. Other notable people with the name include:
Meaning & Origin of Abner
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Abner is a given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It is the name of Abner from the Bible, first cousin to King Saul and commander-in-chief of his army. In the United States, it was moderately popular as a given name, but declined in the first half of the 20th century, rarely being used for newborns after the 1930s. Other notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Abner
Abner first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 27 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2024, when 293 Abners were born — ranking #837 that year. As of 2026, Abner ranks #860 for baby boys with 280 births, rising sharply (+24% over the past five years). In total, more than 10K Abners have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Where is Abner most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- NA51%
- United States25%
- China14%
- RE6%
- Brazil4%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Abner
Phonetically similar names — useful when Abner is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Abner
What does the name Abner mean?
How popular is Abner in 2026?
When was Abner most popular?
In which U.S. states is Abner most popular?
Is Abner a unisex name?
What names go well with Abner?
About the name Abner
Abner is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 10K births in the dataset. Abner's peak popularity came in 2024 when it ranked #289. Use the chart and map above to compare Abner's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2024 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all boy 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.