Fun Facts About the Name Abass
- 114 babies named Abass: U.S. records list 114 babies given the name Abass from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Abass Mean?
Abass is a spelling of the Arabic name ʿAbbās (عباس), whose established meaning is "lion." It comes from the Arabic root ʿ-b-s, the root of the verb ʿabasa, "to frown" or "to look stern." The customary sense of the name is a fierce, scowling lion - one that drives other animals away - which is how Arabic lexicographers traditionally explained it, rather than "lion" in the neutral sense. Some sources describe the underlying word simply as "austere" or "stern-faced" and let the lion image follow from that, so the two explanations are really two parts of the same idea rather than separate origins. The spelling with one b and no ʿayn (Abass) reflects how the Arabic double consonant and long vowel are rendered in West African orthographies, particularly in French- and English-influenced areas.
Abass Name History & Origins
ʿAbbās is a pre-Islamic Arabic name. Its most influential early bearer was Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad and a Companion; his descendants, the Abbasids, founded a caliphate in 750 that ruled from Baghdad and took the family name as its dynastic title. Another significant figure is Abbas ibn Ali, a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib who was killed at the Battle of Karbala in 680 and is honored as a martyr in Shia Islam. A later royal bearer was Abbas I, the Safavid shah of Persia from 1588 to 1629.
Through this religious and political history the name spread across the Muslim world, appearing as Abbas in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani use. In West Africa it is widely spelled Abass, alongside the shorter form Abas, among Muslim communities from Senegal through Ghana and Nigeria and into the Sahel. The name should not be confused with similar-looking European surnames such as Abbott, which has a different, unrelated origin.
How Popular is the Name Abass?
Abass has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2004. Its best rank was #8,114 in 1997.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,018 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #12,239 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #9,714 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #10,808 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #10,769 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #12,259 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #10,750 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #10,657 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #12,123 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #8,793 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #12,284 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #12,294 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #11,044 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #9,586 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #8,299 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #8,142 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #10,906 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #10,673 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #8,114 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Abass Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Abass's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Abass's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.