Abel
AY-bəl
A classic Bible name meaning “breath” or “vapor,” often linked to the brevity of life.
Meaning
Abel comes from the Hebrew name Hevel or Hebel, which early writers gloss as “breath,” “vapor,” or “vanity.” The name is traditionally associated with the biblical Abel, and 19th-century sources note that it may have been chosen in reference to the shortness of his life. Through Greek and later English usage, the form became Abel.
Origin
HebrewGreekEnglishmasculine
Fun fact
The name was already in use in England before the Reformation, though it became especially familiar through direct Bible use.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland.