Abigail - Girl's Name Meaning, Origin, And Popularity - BabyCenter

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Popular Baby NamesBaby Name ListsBaby Name SearchMy Saved Names

1. Baby Names

Abigail/AB-ih-gail/

At a glance

Origin: HebrewUS Popularity: #46Meaning:

"Father of exaltation"

Save to listSee your listFact-checked by Rebekah WahlbergWritten by Kelly BurchUpdated on Nov 3, 2025In this article

• Abigail name meaning and origin
• Abigail name popularity
• Popularity over time
• Abigail in pop culture
• Famous people named Abigail
• Names similar to Abigail
• Baby name lists including Abigail

Abigail name meaning and origin

What does Abigail mean?

"Father of exaltation"

Abigail name origin:

Hebrew

Abigail is a traditionally feminine name that means "father of exaltation" in Hebrew, but is commonly taken to mean "my father's joy" or "my father is joy."

Abigail is a popular secular name, but also has a long history in Christian and Jewish faiths. In this context, the "father" referred to in the name is God.

Abigail is also traditionally used as the anglicized version of the Irish name Gobnat, which comes from an Irish word meaning "smith."

The name Abigail has been around for centuries and has ranked in the top 1,000 girls' names in the United States since the late 1800s (when the Social Security Administration started keeping track). But it's more popular in the 21st century than it ever has been before, ranking in the top 10 for more than 15 years from 2001 until 2017 and peaking at No. 4 in 2005.

Sources:

Hanks P., et al. 2016. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198610601.001.0001/acref-9780198610601-e-7?rskey=XlWnL7&result=21 

U.S. Social Security Administration. Undated. Popular Baby Names. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/

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Popularity over time

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Abigail in pop culture

Name	Description
Abigail "Abby" Anderson	Character in the franchise The Last of Us, voiced by Laura Bailey in the video game and portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever in the TV series
Abigail Chase	Character in the National Treasure films, played by Diane Kruger
Grace Abigail "Abbie" Mills	Character on the TV series Sleepy Hollow, played by Nicole Beharie
Abigail Pershing	Main character on the TV show The Good Witch, played by Sarah Power
Abigail "Abby" Sciuto	Character in the TV show NCIS, played by Pauley Perrette
Abigail Stevenson	Character in The Baby-sitter's Club book series by Ann Martin
Abigail Van Buren	Pen name of Pauline Phillips, the columnist better known as "Dear Abby"
Princess Abigail	Character also known as Kathryn Nolan in the TV show Once Upon a Time, played by Anastasia Griffith
Abigail	Character in the video game Stardew Valley

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Famous people named Abigail

Name	Description
Abigail Adams	American first lady to former President John Adams and mother of former President John Quincy Adams
Abigail Breslin	American actress best known for her roles in the Zombieland movies, My Sister's Keeper, and Little Miss Sunshine
Abigail Cowen	American actress best known for her role in the Netflix show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Abigail "Abby" Dahlkemper	American professional soccer player
Abigail Fillmore	American first lady to former President Millard Fillmore
Abigail "Abby" Hensel	American conjoined twin who has starred in numerous documentaries with her sister, Brittany
Abigail Spencer	American actress best known for her role in the soap opera All My Children
Abigail Thorn	English YouTuber known for running the YouTube channel Philosophy Tube

Names similar to Abigail

Like Abigail? What about:

OliviaEmmaAmeliaIsabellaGraceCharlotteHannahSophiaElizabethAvaMadisonLily

Common sibling names

Sisters

EmilyEmmaOliviaGraceHannahIsabella

Brothers

JoshuaMatthewAndrewJacobEthanAiden

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