Abigail
Hebrew Avigayil, “my father is joy.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
In the Old Testament Abigail is the wise wife of King David, which made the name a Puritan favorite; the 1990s revival of biblical girls' names carried it back into the top 10.
Abigail appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1989 to 2025. It spent 17 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 2003, when 15,932 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 6 nationally. Its best ranking came in 2005, at No. 4. In 2025 it ranked No. 41 for girls. All told, 413,935 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Abbigail (12,159), Abigayle (6,190), Abagail (5,898), Abbygail (3,633), Abygail (2,860), Abigael (1,964) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Gail, Gael
Explore Abigail interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 133 | No. 492 |
| 1890s | 128 | No. 630 |
| 1900s | 136 | No. 760 |
| 1910s | 270 | No. 1031 |
| 1920s | 322 | No. 1210 |
| 1930s | 365 | No. 974 |
| 1940s | 647 | No. 823 |
| 1950s | 1,671 | No. 694 |
| 1960s | 2,411 | No. 590 |
| 1970s | 6,704 | No. 213 |
| 1980s | 20,658 | No. 94 |
| 1990s | 72,779 | No. 18 |
| 2000s | 150,926 | No. 4 |
| 2010s | 118,734 | No. 7 |
| 2020s | 37,379 | No. 12 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.