Abniel
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Father of wisdom".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Abniel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Abniel today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Abniel births was 2018 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Abniel. 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 Abniel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2018
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#12,179
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Abniel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Abniel 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 Abniel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Abniel
The name Abniel is an ancient Hebrew name with roots dating back to biblical times. It is believed to be derived from the Hebrew words "av" meaning "father" and "el" meaning "God," suggesting a meaning of "Father is God" or "God the Father." The name is sometimes spelled as "Abni'el" or "Avni'el" in various texts and translations.
Abniel is mentioned in the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible, where it is listed as the name of a chief from the tribe of Gad. This reference places the name's usage during the time of the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, around the 13th century BCE.
While not a common name throughout history, there are a few notable individuals who bore the name Abniel. One of the earliest recorded was Abniel, a Roman Christian martyr who was put to death during the Diocletian persecution in the early 4th century CE. Another Abniel was a 7th-century Frankish abbot and saint, known for his piety and miracles.
In more modern times, Abniel was the name of a 19th-century Russian philosopher and writer, Abniel Mikhailovich Volkonsky (1832-1891), who was known for his works on religion and mysticism. Abniel Machado (1892-1962) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the governor of the state of Rio Grande do Norte from 1935 to 1945.
Abniel Nieves Frías (1899-1977) was a Puerto Rican musician and composer, renowned for his contributions to the development of the danza, a traditional Puerto Rican musical genre. He composed numerous popular works, including the classic "Llorando me dormí" (Crying, I Fell Asleep).
While not a common name today, Abniel has a rich historical legacy, with its roots in ancient Hebrew culture and references in various religious and historical texts. Its unique meaning and biblical origins have made it a distinctive and memorable name throughout the ages.
People
Abniel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Abniel 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
Abniel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Abniel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Abniel 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 Abniel a common name?
We classify Abniel 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 Abniel most popular?
The single biggest year for Abniel was 2018, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Abniel is about 8 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 Abniel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Abniel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Abniel 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 Abniel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Abniel 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 Abniel 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 common is the name Abniel?
See how many people share the name Abniel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.