Fun Facts About the Name Abi
- 654 babies named Abi: U.S. records list 654 babies given the name Abi from 1880 through 2025. Even 22 boys received the name Abi - about 1 boy for every 29 girls.
What Does the Name Abi Mean?
Abi is most often an English short form of the Hebrew name Abigail. Abigail is built from the Hebrew elements av ("father") and gil ("joy, rejoicing"), and it is customarily translated "my father is joy" or "father's joy." The second element is sometimes connected instead with a verb meaning "to rejoice," so the familiar rendering is a conventional interpretation rather than a strictly literal one.
Abi also appears as a name in its own right in the Hebrew Bible, where it means "my father." It belongs to a group of ancient Israelite names that begin with the element avi-, and it is generally understood as a shortened form of a longer name of that type, such as Abijah ("my father is the LORD").
Abi Name History & Origins
In the Hebrew Bible, Abi is the mother of King Hezekiah. The book of 2 Kings calls her Abi, daughter of Zechariah (2 Kings 18:2), while 2 Chronicles gives the fuller form of the same name, Abijah (2 Chronicles 29:1). Those two passages show Abi functioning as a short form of a longer name rather than as a name with a separate root.
The English given name Abi comes chiefly from Abigail. In the biblical narrative of 1 Samuel 25, Abigail is the wife of Nabal who later marries David, and the name was taken up by English-speaking Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. From Abigail, the clipped forms Abi, Abby, and Abbie developed as everyday names and nicknames.
Unrelated to the Hebrew name, Turkish uses abi (from ağabey) as a respectful term for an older brother or an older man; it is a term of address rather than a personal name. Abi also serves as a short form of unrelated names in other languages, including Abinav and Abishek in southern India and Yoruba names such as Abiodun and Abimbola in Nigeria. These uses share the sound of the name but not its origin.
How Popular is the Name Abi?
Abi 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 2016. Its best rank was #4,962 in 1981.
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 | #9,460 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #6,145 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #8,053 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #7,628 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #7,250 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #7,966 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #7,342 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #8,149 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2017 | #5,340 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2016 | #4,992 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2015 | #6,721 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #6,713 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #7,033 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #6,575 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #8,196 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #6,384 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2009 | #5,378 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2008 | #6,351 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #5,378 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #6,127 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #7,140 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #7,830 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #6,057 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2002 | #6,700 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #9,354 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #8,541 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #7,242 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #8,588 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #5,009 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #7,578 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #10,517 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #10,574 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #8,055 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #11,740 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #10,196 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #7,354 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #8,526 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #9,306 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #9,145 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #10,278 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #6,889 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #4,962 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1980 | #5,247 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #9,015 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #7,650 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #9,286 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #8,425 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #12,295 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #11,002 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #10,935 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #11,487 | 5 | 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 Abi 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.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Abi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Abi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.