UK boy's name
Abe
Father of many nations, from the Hebrew "Abram".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Abe is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Abe popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2671, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 13 births.
This profile covers 205 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 62% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 210 living people in the UK are called Abe. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Abe ranked #2671 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 8 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2017, when 13 boys were registered as Abe.
- • Abe ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #701 in 2019.
- • About 210 living people in the UK are estimated to have Abe as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2671
2024
Births in 2024
8
Latest year
Peak year
2017
13 births
Estimated living
210
2026
Meaning
What does Abe mean?
The name Abe is a short form of the Hebrew name Abram or Abraham, which means "father of many" or "father of a multitude" in Hebrew. This name has its origins in ancient Semitic cultures and can be traced back to the biblical figure Abraham, who is considered the founding patriarch of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.
The name Abraham is mentioned extensively in religious texts such as the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the New Testament, and the Quran. In the Book of Genesis, Abraham is portrayed as a central figure who received a covenant from God, promising him numerous descendants and a land for his people.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Abe was Abe no Seimei, a renowned Japanese onmyoji (a practitioner of traditional Japanese occult studies) who lived from 921 to 1005 CE. He is known for his contributions to the development of onmyodo, a traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology and occult philosophy.
In the medieval period, Abe Sadayoshi (1162-1230) was a prominent Japanese samurai and military commander who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War, a conflict between the Minamoto and Taira clans for control of Japan.
During the Renaissance, Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) was a renowned Flemish cartographer and geographer who created the first modern atlas, known as the "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum" (Theatre of the World).
In the 19th century, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th President of the United States, who led the country during the American Civil War and is renowned for abolishing slavery and preserving the Union.
Another notable figure was Abe Isoo (1865-1949), a Japanese statesman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1976 to 1977 and played a significant role in the country's post-World War II reconstruction efforts.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Abe over time
The chart below shows babies named Abe registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Abe, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2024, compared with 13 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Abe by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Abe was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2675 | 40 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2144 | 101 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2710 | 53 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2042 | 11 | 2 |
Geography
Where Abe is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Abe. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Abe ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #701 in 2019.
Across the UK
Abe in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#701 in 2019
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Abe
-
Abe Terry
rugby league player
GB international rugby league player (1934–2024)
1934-2024
-
Abe Rosenthal
association football player
English footballer (1921-1986)
1921-1986
-
Abe Saperstein
businessperson; coach; basketball player; basketball coach
American sports executive and basketball coach
1902-1966
-
Abe Jones, Jr.
association football player
English footballer (1899-?)
1899-
-
Abe Waddington
association football player; cricketer
Cricket player of England. (1893-1959)
1893-1959
-
Abe Mitchell
golfer
professional golfer (1887-1947)
1887-1947
-
Abe Hartley
association football player
Scottish footballer (1872-1909)
1872-1909
Related
Names similar to Abe
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Abe: questions and answers
How popular is the name Abe in the UK right now?
In 2024, Abe was ranked #2671 for boys in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.
When was Abe most popular?
The peak year on record was 2017, with 13 babies registered as Abe in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Abe?
Father of many nations, from the Hebrew "Abram".
How many people are called Abe in the UK?
A total of 205 babies have been registered as Abe across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Abe most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Abe ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #701 in 2019. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.