Fun Facts About the Name Avigail
- More than 2 thousand babies named Avigail: U.S. records list 2,216 babies given the name Avigail from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Avigail Mean?
Avigail is a Hebrew name meaning "my father is joy" or "my father rejoices." It comes from the biblical Hebrew אֲבִיגַיִל (Avigayil), a compound of אָבִי (avi), "my father," and גִּיל (gil), "joy" or "rejoicing." The spelling Avigail reflects the Hebrew pronunciation of the letter bet without a dagesh as v; the older English form Abigail uses b. The literal sense is often given as "my father is joy," while the customary English rendering is "father's joy."
Avigail Name History & Origins
The name appears in the Hebrew Bible as אֲבִיגַיִל. In 1 Samuel 25, Abigail is the wife of Nabal of Maon; after Nabal's death, she becomes a wife of David. In 1 Chronicles 2:16, Abigail is listed as a sister of David. The name passed into Greek as Αβιγαια in the Septuagint and into Latin as Abigail, which became the standard English form. The spelling Avigail is a modern transliteration that follows the Hebrew pronunciation more closely. It is used in Israel and in Jewish communities in English-speaking countries, where it stands as a variant of Abigail rather than a separate name.
How Popular is the Name Avigail?
Avigail 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 #1,787 in 2016.
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 | #2,122 | 88 | 0.0055% |
| 2024 | #2,504 | 71 | 0.0044% |
| 2023 | #2,491 | 71 | 0.0044% |
| 2022 | #2,559 | 69 | 0.0042% |
| 2021 | #2,270 | 81 | 0.0049% |
| 2020 | #1,990 | 94 | 0.0058% |
| 2019 | #2,437 | 73 | 0.0044% |
| 2018 | #2,221 | 83 | 0.0049% |
| 2017 | #1,877 | 108 | 0.0063% |
| 2016 | #1,787 | 116 | 0.0065% |
| 2015 | #1,984 | 100 | 0.0056% |
| 2014 | #2,215 | 85 | 0.0048% |
| 2013 | #2,097 | 91 | 0.0052% |
| 2012 | #3,051 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 2011 | #2,728 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 2010 | #2,698 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 2009 | #2,288 | 85 | 0.0046% |
| 2008 | #3,023 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 2007 | #2,397 | 79 | 0.0041% |
| 2006 | #2,608 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 2005 | #2,903 | 56 | 0.0030% |
| 2004 | #3,079 | 50 | 0.0027% |
| 2003 | #3,139 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 2002 | #3,155 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2001 | #3,099 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2000 | #2,949 | 48 | 0.0026% |
| 1999 | #3,724 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1998 | #3,357 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1997 | #5,029 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #3,438 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1995 | #4,689 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1994 | #3,624 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1993 | #4,108 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1992 | #6,683 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #4,514 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #7,932 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #6,999 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1988 | #9,330 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #8,861 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #5,783 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1983 | #7,369 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #10,643 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #9,215 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #8,526 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #8,876 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #7,507 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #7,082 | 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 Avigail 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 very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Avigail's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Avigail's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.