Find out how popular the first name Anibal has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Anibal by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Anibal is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 99% of people named Anibal being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 43 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Anibal.

The history of the first name Anibal

The name Anibal has its origins in the Punic language, spoken by the ancient Carthaginians in modern-day Tunisia and surrounding areas. It is derived from the Punic word "Hannibal," which means "grace of Ba'al," with Ba'al being a prominent Semitic deity. The name was particularly popular among the Carthaginians during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC.

One of the earliest and most famous historical figures bearing this name was Hannibal Barca, the renowned Carthaginian military commander who led his army, including war elephants, across the Alps to launch attacks against Rome during the Second Punic War (218-201 BC). His daring and strategic exploits against the Roman Republic have been well-documented in ancient texts, including the works of historians like Livy and Polybius.

In later centuries, the name Anibal continued to be used, albeit less commonly, in various regions influenced by the Punic culture and language. One notable example is Saint Anibal de la Ciudad, a 16th-century Spanish Dominican friar and missionary who played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in South America (1550-1609).

During the Renaissance period, the name Anibal gained some popularity in Italy, particularly in the region of Tuscany. One of the most famous Italians with this name was Anibal Caro, a renowned 16th-century poet and literary critic who is best known for his work "Rime" and his translation of Virgil's "Aeneid" (1507-1566).

In the 19th century, the name Anibal was occasionally used in France, where one of the most notable bearers was Anibal Alvarez, a Chilean-born French adventurer and writer who participated in various military campaigns and wrote several books about his experiences (1806-1842).

Another historical figure with the name Anibal was Anibal Milhano, a Portuguese military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of Portuguese India in the late 19th century (1843-1912).

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Anibal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Anibal, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!