The first name Abraham
A boy’s name from Hebrew meaning “abraham”, “father is exalted.”, “father of”.
Pronounced /ˈeɪ.bɹəˌhæm/ 3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Hebrew origin
Abraham means “abraham”, “father is exalted.”, “father of” in Hebrew.
From Middle English Abraham, from Old English Abraham, from Late Latin Ābrahām, from Ancient Greek Ἀβρᾱᾱ́μ (Abrāā́m), from Hebrew אַבְרָהָם ('aḇrāhām, “Abraham”). Thomas L. Thompson suggests that the meaning of the name in Genesis was forgotten due to its age and that its original meaning was "Father is exalted." Glossed as אַב (aḇ, “father of”) + הֲמוֹן (hăˈmōn, “multitude of”) in Genesis 17:4–5; or from Hebrew אַבְרָם ('aḇrām, “Abram”). Doublet of Ibrahim, Avraham, Abramo, and Abrahan.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 59 boys were named Abraham, making it the 627th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2017, with 91 births (#454).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Abraham with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Abraham at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,664 boys born in the United States were named Abraham, the 209th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2016, when 2,584 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.
Abraham in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Abraham in Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, French, Icelandic, Indonesian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Abraham
147 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Albert Abraham MichelsonAmerican physicist (1852–1931)
- Abraham MaslowAmerican psychologist (1908–1970)
- Abraham OrteliusFlemish cartographer, geographer and cosmographer (1527–1598)
- Abraham de MoivreFrench mathematician (*1667 – †1754)
- Abraham in IslāmForefather of the Abrahamic religions from the Islamic perspective, born -1813
- Abraham ibn Ezra12th-century Sephardic rabbi and astrologer, 1092–1167
- Abraham Gottlob WernerGerman geologist (1749-1817)
- Abraham CowleyBritish writer (1618–1667)
- Abraham WaldAmerican mathematician, statistician, and scientist (1902–1950)
- Abraham ibn Daud12th century Spanish astronomer, historian and philosopher, 1110–1180
- Abraham BloemaertDutch painter (1566–1651)
- Abraham PaisDutch-American physicist and science historian (1918–2000)
More Hebrew boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Abraham mean?
- Abraham means “abraham”, “father is exalted.”, “father of” in Hebrew.
- What is the origin of the name Abraham?
- From Middle English Abraham, from Old English Abraham, from Late Latin Ābrahām, from Ancient Greek Ἀβρᾱᾱ́μ (Abrāā́m), from Hebrew אַבְרָהָם ('aḇrāhām, “Abraham”). Thomas L. Thompson suggests that the meaning of the name in Genesis was forgotten due to its age and that its original meaning was…
- How popular is the name Abraham?
- In 2025, 59 boys born in England and Wales were named Abraham, ranking 627th. Its peak was 2017, with 91 births.
- What are nicknames for Abraham?
- Common nicknames for Abraham include Abe, Abey, Abie.
- Is Abraham a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 104,175 US babies named Abraham since 1880 were boys.
- When was Abraham most popular?
- 2016 in the United States, when 2,584 babies were named Abraham, its highest rank at 157th.
- How do you pronounce Abraham?
- Abraham is /ˈeɪ.bɹəˌhæm/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Abraham?
- Avraham.
- Is Abraham also a surname?
- Yes. Abraham is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.