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 [ 2 syll. a-bel, ab-el ] The boy name Abel is pronounced as EYBahL KEY. 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' (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), Avel (Russian), Ábel (Hungarian), Hebel (Hebrew), and Hevel (English and Hebrew) are variants of Abel. Other forms of Abel include the short form Abe (English), the pet form Nab (English), and the variant spellings Abell (English) and Able (English). 2: Abel's language of origin is Assyrian. Biblical name derived from the word aplu meaning 'son'. The generic name has been used in the Old Testament of the Bible. Abel is a rather popular baby boy name. The name has been increasing in popularity since the 1900s. At the modest height of its usage in 2007, 0.043% of baby boys were given the name Abel. It had a ranking of #344 then. In 2008, it ranked at #360 with a usage of 0.040%, and it was the most widely used within all boy names in its family. Baby names that sound like Abel include the English Abell, the English Able, and the Hungarian Ábel. A famous person named Abel is Explorer, Abel Tasman, born 1603 - 10 October 1659, Lutjegast, Dutch Republic. KEY: Pronunciation for Abel: EY as in "ate (EY.T)" ; B as in "be (B.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)"   |
