Fun Facts About the Name Abdiel
- More than 7 thousand babies named Abdiel: U.S. records list 7,715 babies given the name Abdiel from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Abdiel Mean?
Abdiel is a Hebrew name meaning "servant of God." It comes from the biblical Hebrew עַבְדִּיאֵל (ʿAḇdîʾēl), formed from עֶבֶד (ʿeḇeḏ), "servant" or "slave," and אֵל (ʾēl), "God" - the same word for God that appears in many Hebrew names. The literal sense is "servant of God," sometimes given as "servant of El." The first element is the same root found in Obadiah, which uses the divine name YHWH where Abdiel uses El. The short -î- between the two parts is normally explained as a connecting vowel rather than a possessive, so the name is not usually read as "my servant is God."
Abdiel Name History & Origins
Abdiel appears in the Hebrew Bible in a genealogy of the tribe of Gad. 1 Chronicles 5:15 names Ahi son of Abdiel son of Guni among the clan heads of Gad who lived in Bashan. That single notice is the earliest documented occurrence of the name, and the man is not mentioned elsewhere.
From the Hebrew text the name passed into Greek and Latin scripture and then into English Bibles, where it is spelled Abdiel in the King James Version and in later translations. A similar but distinct name, Abdeel, belongs to a different man, the father of Shelemiah in Jeremiah 36:26, and is generally treated as a separate form rather than the same name.
The name became widely known through John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), which gives it to a seraph who alone among the angels refuses Satan's call to rebel and later fights on God's side in the war in heaven. Milton drew the name from Scripture, and his character is his own literary creation; the biblical Gadite has no connection to it. The choice of name plays on the meaning "servant of God."
In modern times Abdiel is also found as a personal name, particularly in English- and Spanish-speaking communities.
How Popular is the Name Abdiel?
Abdiel recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2019. Its best rank was #503 in 2019.
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 | #607 | 466 | 0.0273% |
| 2024 | #676 | 403 | 0.0235% |
| 2023 | #699 | 380 | 0.0222% |
| 2022 | #787 | 321 | 0.0184% |
| 2021 | #642 | 430 | 0.0246% |
| 2020 | #519 | 552 | 0.0320% |
| 2019 | #503 | 568 | 0.0317% |
| 2018 | #610 | 440 | 0.0242% |
| 2017 | #675 | 376 | 0.0203% |
| 2016 | #741 | 329 | 0.0173% |
| 2015 | #873 | 254 | 0.0133% |
| 2014 | #859 | 257 | 0.0134% |
| 2013 | #805 | 271 | 0.0143% |
| 2012 | #845 | 252 | 0.0133% |
| 2011 | #800 | 275 | 0.0145% |
| 2010 | #810 | 264 | 0.0138% |
| 2009 | #900 | 229 | 0.0115% |
| 2008 | #987 | 199 | 0.0098% |
| 2007 | #1,048 | 180 | 0.0087% |
| 2006 | #1,173 | 144 | 0.0070% |
| 2005 | #1,181 | 135 | 0.0068% |
| 2004 | #1,270 | 118 | 0.0059% |
| 2003 | #1,561 | 81 | 0.0041% |
| 2002 | #1,406 | 93 | 0.0048% |
| 2001 | #1,710 | 67 | 0.0034% |
| 2000 | #1,585 | 74 | 0.0038% |
| 1999 | #1,995 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1998 | #1,791 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 1997 | #1,964 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1996 | #1,725 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 1995 | #2,626 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1994 | #2,502 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1993 | #2,641 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1992 | #2,045 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 1991 | #2,470 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1990 | #2,695 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1989 | #2,468 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1988 | #3,523 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #3,201 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1986 | #2,779 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1985 | #2,294 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1984 | #4,977 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #2,577 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1982 | #4,594 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #4,961 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #4,133 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #4,843 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #5,062 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #4,165 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #3,095 | 12 | 0.0008% |
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 Abdiel 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.
✦ Abdiel's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Abdiel's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.