Abb
A Hebrew name meaning "father" or "master".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Abb. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Abb today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Abb births was 1926 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Abb. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Abb is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Abbs were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Abb. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1926
11 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1946 SSA rank
#3,524
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Abb: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Abb from the 1880s through to the 1940s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 34 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Abb by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Abb during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Abb
The given name Abb has its origins in the Arabic language, derived from the word "ab" which means "father" or "ancestor." This name was particularly prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries.
Historically, the name Abb was commonly used by Arabs and Muslims, often as a prefix or a component of longer names. It carried a sense of respect and reverence for one's paternal lineage. However, there are no known instances of the name appearing in major religious texts or ancient scriptures.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Abb was Abb al-Qasim al-Baghdadi, a renowned Arabic calligrapher who lived in Baghdad during the 10th century. His intricate and beautiful calligraphic works were highly regarded and influential in the Islamic world.
Another notable figure was Abb al-Barakat al-Baghdadi, a 12th-century philosopher and logician from Baghdad. He made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics, and his writings were widely studied by scholars of his time.
In the realm of literature, Abb al-Hasan al-Nuri was a 13th-century Persian poet and writer. He is best known for his poetic works, which celebrated love and spirituality, and his influence on the development of Persian literature.
Moving forward in history, Abb al-Mu'min al-Dimashqi was a 16th-century Syrian traveler and writer. He documented his extensive travels throughout the Middle East and North Africa, providing valuable insights into the cultures and customs of the regions he visited.
Lastly, Abb al-Hamid al-Katib was an 18th-century Egyptian scholar and historian. He authored several important works on the history and culture of Egypt, which served as valuable resources for future generations of historians and researchers.
While the name Abb has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has been adopted and used in various forms across different regions and time periods, reflecting the rich diversity and interconnectedness of human civilizations.
People
Abb + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Abb as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Abb: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Abb?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Abb going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Abb a common name?
We classify Abb as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 96 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Abb most popular?
The single biggest year for Abb was 1926, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Abb is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Abb a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Abb in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.