boys' name ★ peaked 1917

Abe

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Abraham, from Hebrew Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,207 Trend ↓ Falling 14%

A diminutive of the male given name Abraham, from Hebrew.

Rank 2025
#2,207
among boys · ↑212 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
64
named Abe · +12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 26,689
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1917
280 babies
All-time total
9,694
#1,230 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Abe popularity over time

9,694 babies have been named Abe since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1898Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s 443 44 – #234
1890s 504 50 +14% #215
1900s 572 57 +13% #239
1910s 2,099 210 +267% #266
1920s 1,502 150 -28% #402
1930s 694 69 -54% #668
1940s 576 58 -17% #762
1950s 561 56 -3% #928
1960s 423 42 -25% #967
1970s 352 35 -17% #1,309
1980s 274 27 -22% #1,619
1990s 229 23 -16% #2,628
2000s 454 45 +98% #2,006
2010s 655 66 +44% #1,846
2020s (to 2025) 356 59 -9% #2,195

Where Abe is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 62 0.04 outside top 500
2027 61 0.04 outside top 500
2028 60 0.04 outside top 500
2029 59 0.03 outside top 500
2030 58 0.03 outside top 500

Where Abe is most popular

Boys named Abe per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.035 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Iowa.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Abe born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 45 0.224 +537%
New York 75 0.173 +394%
Iowa 5 0.073 +107%
Michigan 5 0.024 -30%
Ohio 5 0.019 -46%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
California – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Abe

Abe is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,207 in 2025 with 64 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 9,694 American babies have been named Abe. Its peak came in 1917, when 280 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Abe stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Abe?

The median living Abe is about 37 years old; half are between 13 and 65. An estimated 3,400 people named Abe are alive in the United States today.

median 37 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Abe year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 64 #2,207
2024 57 #2,419
2023 59 #2,346
2022 59 #2,380
2021 64 #2,195
2020 53 #2,437
2019 81 #1,849
2018 81 #1,856
2017 74 #1,936
2016 61 #2,208
2015 80 #1,846
2014 60 #2,230
2013 63 #2,113
2012 49 #2,517
2011 51 #2,437
2010 55 #2,324
2009 57 #2,287
2008 49 #2,542
2007 52 #2,443
2006 44 #2,659
2005 41 #2,653
2004 37 #2,788
2003 57 #2,006
2002 44 #2,338
2001 42 #2,347
2000 31 #2,864
1995 20 #3,303
1990 25 #2,628
1985 27 #2,071
1980 36 #1,619
1975 40 #1,378
1970 34 #1,435
1965 36 #1,271
1960 60 #981
1955 60 #971
1950 46 #1,037
1945 58 #817
1940 54 #858
1935 59 #803
1930 86 #672
1925 116 #577
1920 207 #408
1915 272 #311
1910 74 #282
1905 65 #241
1900 56 #274
1895 54 #242
1890 49 #237
1885 47 #241
1880 50 #234

Famous people named Abe

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Abe Vigoda Abe Vigoda American actor (1921–2016) Contemporary
  2. 2 Abe no Seimei Abe no Seimei Japanese mystic 921–1005 · Medieval
  3. 3 Abe Lenstra Abe Lenstra Dutch footballer (1920–1985) Contemporary
  4. 4 Abe Masahiro Abe Masahiro Japanese politician (1819–1857) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Abe, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Abe?

The median living Abe is about 37 years old. Half of all living Abes are between 13 and 65 years old.

How many people named Abe are alive today?

An estimated 3,400 people named Abe are alive in the United States, based on 9,694 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Abe mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Abraham, from Hebrew.

How popular is the name Abe in 2025?

Abe ranked #2,207 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 64 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Abe?

9,694 babies have been named Abe in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Abe most popular?

Abe peaked in 1917, when 280 newborns received the name.

Is Abe a boy or girl name?

Abe is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Abe rising or falling?

Abe has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Abe become more popular?

Abe is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 58 boys named Abe in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Abe?

Well-known people named Abe include Abe Vigoda (actor), Abe no Seimei (politician), Abe Lenstra (soccer player).

Names like Abe

Names that sound and feel close to Abe: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Abe with similar names → More names starting with A →