Fun Facts About the Name Abra
- More than 1 thousand babies named Abra: U.S. records list 1,023 babies given the name Abra from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Abra Mean?
Abra, meaning "maidservant," comes from the Greek word ἅβρα (habra), "maid, lady-in-waiting." That is the name given to Judith's servant in the Latin Bible, and Bible name lists gloss it simply as "a maid" or "a servant." The further origin of the Greek word itself is uncertain.
In modern English use, Abra is also treated as a feminine form of Abraham, the Hebrew name traditionally explained as "father of a multitude" (from av hamon, אַב־הֲמוֹן, as in Genesis 17:5), and as a short form of girls' names such as Abriana and Abrielle. Name books sometimes link Abra to Abigail ("my father's joy") because the two names begin with the same letters, but that is a resemblance in sound rather than a shared derivation.
Abra Name History & Origins
Abra appears in the Book of Judith, a Jewish story that survives in Greek and belongs to the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments but not to the Hebrew Bible or most Protestant ones. In the Latin Vulgate, the maidservant who goes with Judith to the camp of the Assyrian general Holofernes and carries the bag holding his severed head is named Abra. In the Greek text she is usually referred to only as the slave girl (ἡ παιδίσκη) rather than by name, so Western readers know the name chiefly from the Latin Bible and from translations made from it.
Abra has also been used as a girl's name in English-speaking countries, most often as a shortening of names beginning with Abr- or as a feminine counterpart of Abraham. In John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden (1952), Abra Bacon is a central character, and she is probably the best-known bearer of the name in American literature.
How Popular is the Name Abra?
Abra 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 1983. Its best rank was #1,689 in 1983.
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 | #10,924 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #8,409 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #9,611 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #6,224 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2021 | #5,236 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2020 | #8,404 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #10,482 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #7,761 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2017 | #7,090 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #8,877 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #11,841 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #8,489 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #9,715 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #13,357 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #13,720 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #11,607 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #10,830 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #10,620 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #11,845 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #14,190 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #15,802 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #15,457 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #8,202 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #12,696 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #5,802 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #9,022 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #9,585 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #8,770 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #10,576 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #4,670 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1992 | #4,687 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1991 | #5,399 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #4,868 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1989 | #4,121 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1988 | #5,598 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #3,257 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1986 | #2,724 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1985 | #3,007 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1984 | #2,677 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 1983 | #1,689 | 65 | 0.0039% |
| 1982 | #1,900 | 56 | 0.0033% |
| 1981 | #1,767 | 63 | 0.0038% |
| 1980 | #3,853 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1979 | #3,777 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1978 | #4,243 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #4,425 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #3,539 | 19 | 0.0013% |
| 1975 | #3,514 | 19 | 0.0013% |
| 1974 | #2,922 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1973 | #4,586 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #3,179 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1971 | #3,789 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1970 | #3,712 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1969 | #3,618 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1968 | #4,001 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1967 | #4,626 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #6,564 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #5,286 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #4,634 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #4,019 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #5,310 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #4,520 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #4,467 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1955 | #5,208 | 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 Abra 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.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Abra's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Abra's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.