Fun Facts About the Name Avigayil
- 659 babies named Avigayil: U.S. records list 659 babies given the name Avigayil from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Avigayil Mean?
Avigayil is a Hebrew name meaning "my father is joy." It comes from the biblical Hebrew אֲבִיגַיִל, built from two elements: אָבִי (avi), "my father," and גִּיל (gil), "joy" or "rejoicing." The name is commonly translated "my father's joy." Some older reference works give the sense as "father of joy," reading the first element as the construct "father of" rather than the possessive "my father"; both readings use the same two Hebrew components, and the difference is one of grammatical interpretation rather than of separate origins.
Avigayil is a transliteration of the same Hebrew name that English Bibles render as Abigail. The two spellings are not independent names but two ways of writing one Hebrew original, the one following Hebrew letters and pronunciation more closely, the other shaped by Greek and Latin.
Avigayil Name History & Origins
The name appears in the Hebrew Bible as אֲבִיגַיִל. In 1 Samuel 25 it belongs to Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel, who afterward became a wife of King David. A second Abigail is named in 2 Samuel 17:25 as the mother of Amasa; that verse calls her a daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, while 1 Chronicles 2:16 lists Abigail among the sisters of David's brothers. The passages do not agree, and it is not clear whether they describe the same woman or two different people.
In the Greek Septuagint the name is written Ἀβιγαία (Abigaia), and the Latin Vulgate used Abigail. English translations followed the Latin and Greek forms, and Abigail became a familiar English given name. Avigayil follows the Hebrew spelling and Modern Hebrew pronunciation directly; it is the standard form in Israel and is also used by Hebrew-speaking and Jewish families elsewhere.
Jewish tradition also counts Abigail among the seven women it describes as prophetesses in the Talmud (Megillah 14a). That is a later interpretive tradition, not part of the biblical narrative itself.
How Popular is the Name Avigayil?
Avigayil 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 2022. Its best rank was #4,213 in 2022.
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 | #5,001 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #5,306 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2023 | #5,013 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #4,213 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 2021 | #8,086 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #8,465 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #6,745 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #5,179 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2017 | #5,382 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2016 | #5,150 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2015 | #4,744 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2014 | #5,340 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2013 | #7,093 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #5,127 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2011 | #8,695 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #6,004 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2009 | #5,114 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2008 | #6,381 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #7,430 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #5,941 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #7,188 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #7,879 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #5,836 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #6,431 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #6,361 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #7,634 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #6,873 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #7,598 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1997 | #8,413 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #8,219 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #7,566 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #8,196 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #10,721 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #11,900 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #9,413 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #9,331 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #9,778 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #9,949 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #10,572 | 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 Avigayil 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.
✦ Avigayil's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Avigayil's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.