Abraham
AY-brə-ham
A biblical patriarch’s name meaning “father of a multitude.”
Meaning
Abraham is the biblical name given to Abram, with the traditional meaning “father of a multitude.” In the excerpted 19th-century sources, the name is explained as a divinely changed form of Abram, shifting from the earlier sense “father of height or elevation” to Abraham, “father of a multitude.”
Origin
Hebrewmasculine
Fun fact
The name also appears in historical Christian calendars, with early saints and martyrs named Abraham recorded from the fourth century onward.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland.