Abelardo
A masculine name of Spanish origin meaning "obedient to Abel".
Name Census estimates that about 3,890 living Americans carry the first name Abelardo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Abelardo today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Abelardo births was 2002 (99 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Abelardo. 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.
People living today
3.9K
~ 1 in 88,112 Americans
Peak year
2002
99 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,944
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Abelardo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Abelardo from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 672 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Abelardo remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Abelardo 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 Abelardo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Abelardos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, California, Arizona recorded the most babies named Abelardo, while Washington, Florida, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 482 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Abelardo
The name Abelardo originated from the Latin name Abelardus, which itself derived from the Old German name Abalhard, meaning "bright" or "noble." The name gained prominence during the Middle Ages in Europe, particularly in France and Italy.
The earliest recorded use of the name Abelardo dates back to the 11th century. One of the most famous individuals to bear this name was the French philosopher and theologian Peter Abelard (1079-1142), known for his tragic love story with Heloise and his contributions to scholastic philosophy.
In the 12th century, an Italian nobleman named Abelardo da Piacenza (fl. 1150s) was a prominent figure in the city of Piacenza. He served as a diplomat and played a significant role in mediating disputes between the city and the Holy Roman Empire.
Another notable figure was Abelardo I de Alburquerque (c. 1185-1239), a Portuguese nobleman and military leader who participated in the Reconquista against the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula. He was granted the title of Count of Alburquerque for his military achievements.
In the 16th century, Abelardo Lualdi (c. 1510-1573) was an Italian painter and architect from Bergamo. He is best known for his contributions to the Renaissance architectural style in northern Italy.
The name Abelardo also appeared in religious contexts, such as Abelardo de Santa Cruz (1590-1655), a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary who worked in the Philippines and helped establish the Jesuit presence in the region.
While the name Abelardo has its roots in Latin and Old German, it has been used across various European cultures, including French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Its association with notable figures in philosophy, nobility, military, art, and religion has contributed to its enduring legacy throughout history.
People
Abelardo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Abelardo 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
Abelardo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Abelardo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,890 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Abelardo 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 88,112 US residents.
Is Abelardo a common name?
We classify Abelardo as "Rare". It ranks above 95.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,772 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Abelardo most popular?
The single biggest year for Abelardo was 2002, when 99 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Abelardo is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Abelardo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Abelardo 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.