Fun Facts About the Name Abigal
- 797 babies named Abigal: U.S. records list 797 babies given the name Abigal from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Abigal Mean?
Abigal is a spelling variant of Abigail, a name that comes from the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew form is אֲבִיגַיִל (Avigayil). It is regularly parsed as two elements: אָב (av, "father") and גִּיל (gil, "joy" or "rejoicing"). Read element by element, the sense is something like "father of joy" or "my father rejoices." The familiar English gloss, "my father is joy," is a customary way of putting those parts into a sentence rather than a strict word-for-word translation.
A few reference works note that the second element may reflect a verb meaning "to rejoice," and some suggest that the "father" in the name could refer to God rather than to a human father. The "father" and "joy" components themselves are not in dispute, but the exact shade of meaning in the original name is not fully settled.
Abigal is simply Abigail with the second i dropped. It has no separate derivation of its own, and it should not be confused with unrelated names that merely look similar.
Abigal Name History & Origins
Abigail is a biblical name. In the First Book of Samuel, Abigail is the wife of Nabal of Carmel; after Nabal's death she becomes a wife of David. A second Abigail, the mother of Amasa, is named in the Second Book of Samuel. Readers of the Hebrew Bible, and later of Greek and Latin Bible translations, would have known the name from these passages.
In England the name appears in medieval records, and it became considerably more common in the 16th and 17th centuries, when Protestants - especially Puritans - favored names taken from the Old Testament. English settlers carried it to North America, where it is found in colonial records.
The English common noun abigail, meaning a lady's maid, comes from a character named Abigail in the play The Scornful Lady (1616) by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher; that usage lasted into the 18th and 19th centuries.
The form Abigal belongs to the same name. It appears as an alternate spelling in English-language records, and it is best understood as a variant of Abigail rather than as a distinct name with a separate history.
How Popular is the Name Abigal?
Abigal 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 2005. Its best rank was #3,527 in 2000.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #10,247 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #13,596 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #12,143 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #15,555 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #10,548 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #11,620 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #8,875 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #7,267 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #5,311 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2013 | #6,463 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2012 | #5,712 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2011 | #5,726 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2010 | #4,494 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2009 | #5,226 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2008 | #4,882 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2007 | #5,379 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #4,462 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2005 | #3,809 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2004 | #3,989 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 2003 | #3,946 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2002 | #4,280 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2001 | #3,940 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2000 | #3,527 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1999 | #3,806 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1998 | #4,956 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1997 | #4,508 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1996 | #4,307 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1995 | #3,670 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #4,116 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1993 | #10,594 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,740 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #7,431 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #10,197 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #4,849 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #7,112 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #5,923 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1986 | #8,527 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #7,564 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #5,899 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #8,224 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #10,412 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #7,651 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #8,158 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #7,996 | 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 Abigal 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 are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Abigal's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Abigal's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.