Abinadab
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "my father is noble" or "father of generosity".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Abinadab. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Abinadab today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Abinadab births was 2003 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Abinadab. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Abinadab. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2003
5 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2003 SSA rank
#10,921
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Abinadab: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Abinadab 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 Abinadab during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Abinadab
The name Abinadab is of Hebrew origin, derived from the phrase "avi nadav" which translates to "my father is noble" or "father of generosity." It first appeared in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically in the Book of Samuel, where it referred to one of the sons of Jesse, the father of King David.
Abinadab is mentioned in the Bible as being responsible for transporting the Ark of the Covenant on a new cart when it was brought from Kiriath-Jearim to Jerusalem. This event is recorded in the Second Book of Samuel, chapter 6, and the First Book of Chronicles, chapter 13. However, Abinadab's actions were not in accordance with the prescribed methods for moving the Ark, leading to a tragic incident where his brother Uzzah was struck dead for touching the Ark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Abinadab outside of the Bible is in the ancient Hebrew texts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date back to the third century BCE. These scrolls contain references to individuals bearing the name, indicating its usage during the Second Temple period in Jewish history.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Abinadab. One of the earliest was Abinadab ben Pedaiah, a Jewish scholar who lived in the fifth century CE and was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest court of ancient Jewish law.
In the 12th century, Abinadab ben Isaac was a French Rabbi and scholar who lived in Narbonne, France. He was known for his contributions to the study of Jewish law and wrote several important works on the subject.
During the 16th century, Abinadab Jacobi was a Dutch Hebraist and scholar who lived in Leiden, Netherlands. He was renowned for his expertise in the Hebrew language and his translations of Jewish texts into Latin.
In the 19th century, Abinadab Coody was a Baptist minister and educator who lived in Alabama, United States. He was instrumental in establishing several schools and churches in the state and was known for his efforts in promoting education among African Americans.
Another notable figure was Abinadab Josiah Khudabadi, an Indian Christian missionary and evangelist who lived in the late 19th century. He played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in India and was known for his efforts in translating the Bible into various Indian languages.
People
Abinadab + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Abinadab 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
Abinadab: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Abinadab?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Abinadab 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Abinadab a common name?
We classify Abinadab as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Abinadab most popular?
The single biggest year for Abinadab was 2003, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Abinadab is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Abinadab in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Abinadab a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Abinadab 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.
Is Abinadab still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Abinadab in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Abinadab can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Abinadab?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.