The first name Abbas
A boy’s name from Arabic meaning “one who frowns a lot”, “untamed lion”, “to frown”.
Pronounced /əˈbɑːs/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Arabic origin
Abbas means “one who frowns a lot”, “untamed lion”, “to frown” in Arabic.
From Arabic عَبَّاس (ʕabbās, “one who frowns a lot; untamed lion”), from عَبَسَ (ʕabasa, “to frown”), the title of the eightieth sura of the Qur'an.
More names that mean lion.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 54 boys were named Abbas, making it the 668th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2009, with 66 births (#524).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Abbas with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Abbas at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 61 boys born in the United States were named Abbas, the 2,284th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2018, when 95 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Abbas in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Abbas in Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Portuguese and Turkish too.
Famous people named Abbas
16 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Abbas el-AkkadEgyptian writer (1889-1964)
- Abbas Ibn al-AhnafArab Abbasid poet (750–809)
- Abbas SahhatAzerbaijani poet, 1874–1918
- Abbas Mirza SharifzadehAzerbaijani actor (1893–1938)
- AbbasFranco-Iranian photographer (1944–2018)
- Sher Mohammad Abbas StanikzaiAfghan politician and Taliban government minister, born 1963
- Abbas HüseynovAzerbaijani association football player, born 1995
- Abbas FahdelFrench film directorIraqi-French film director, born 1959
- Al-Abbas ibn al-Ma'munAbbasid prince and Military leader (died 838 CE)
- Abbas SuanArab-Israeli association footballer, born 1976
- Abbas Ahmed KhamisBahraini footballer, born 1983
- Abbas ZakourArab politician in Israel, born 1965
More Arabic boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Abbas mean?
- Abbas means “one who frowns a lot”, “untamed lion”, “to frown” in Arabic.
- What is the origin of the name Abbas?
- From Arabic عَبَّاس (ʕabbās, “one who frowns a lot; untamed lion”), from عَبَسَ (ʕabasa, “to frown”), the title of the eightieth sura of the Qur'an.
- How popular is the name Abbas?
- In 2025, 54 boys born in England and Wales were named Abbas, ranking 668th. Its peak was 2009, with 66 births.
- Is Abbas a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 1,843 US babies named Abbas since 1880 were boys.
- When was Abbas most popular?
- 2018 in the United States, when 95 babies were named Abbas, its highest rank at 1,671st.
- How do you pronounce Abbas?
- Abbas is /əˈbɑːs/, 2 syllables.
- Is Abbas also a surname?
- Yes. Abbas is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.