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Able

AY-buhl /ˈeɪ.bəl/

At a glance

U.S. rank 2025
#5,045 of boy names (outside the top 1,000)
Babies in 2025
19 (<0.01% of boys)
Trend
Slipping #3,570 in 2020 to #5,045 in 2025
Peak
#2,398 in 1918
First recorded
1912

Meaning of Able

With roots stretching from the sunbaked hills of ancient Canaan to the bustling medieval courtyards of Europe, the name Able weaves together two rich threads: the tender echo of Abel, Adam and Eve’s second son whose very name in Hebrew (Hevel) whispers “breath,” and the modern English word “able,” drawn from Latin habilis and brimming with promise. Families in warm familias might picture their little Able stepping into life’s grand fiesta with a built-in superpower of confidence and integrity, as if destiny itself murmured, “You can”—no pressure, little one—just greatness ahead. It’s a name that dances on the tongue like a paso doble, blending strength with softness and promising a story as luminous as dawn.

How to pronounce Able

English

Popularity of Able in the U.S.

Able was the #5,045 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 19 babies. It peaked at #2,398 in 1918. It first appears in the records in 1912.

Bar and line chart: Able in the U.S., 1912–2025. Bars: boys given the name each year, most 45 in 2014 and 19 in 2025. Line: rank among boy names, peak #2,398 in 1918, #5,045 in 2025.
  • Boys named Able (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 1912–2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 1912⁠–⁠2025 80 rows
Able: babies and rank among boy names in the U.S. by year
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
2025195,045▲ 196
2024185,241▲ 979
2023146,220▼ 2,756
2022333,464▲ 118
2021313,582▼ 12
2020303,570▲ 910
2019224,480▼ 1,240
2018353,240▲ 72
2017343,312▼ 377
2016402,935▼ 71
2015412,864▼ 203
2014452,661▲ 143
2013412,804▲ 493
2012333,297▲ 9
2011333,306▲ 1,060
2010224,366▼ 206
2009244,160▲ 741
2008194,901▼ 1,008
2007263,893▲ 1,888
2006145,781▼ 503
2005155,278▲ 214
2004145,492▲ 385
2003125,877▲ 1,178
200297,055▼ 1,042
2001116,013▼ 1,440
2000164,573▼ 36
1999154,537▲ 622
1998125,159▼ 1,282
1997173,877▲ 2,619
199686,496▼ 995
1995105,501▼ 49
1994105,452back (not recorded in 1993)
199286,128▼ 1,368
1991114,760▲ 1,063
199085,823▼ 2,205
1989153,618▲ 1,582
198885,200▼ 961
1987104,239▲ 1,687
198665,926back (not recorded in 1985)
198484,552▼ 922
1983113,630▲ 336
1982103,966▼ 936
1981143,030▲ 226
1980133,256▲ 313
1979113,569▲ 1,491
197865,060back (not recorded in 1977)
197674,418▼ 1,516
1975132,902▲ 416
1974103,318▲ 1,187
197364,505▼ 1,514
1972112,991▲ 379
197193,370back (not recorded in 1970)
196963,935back (not recorded in 1968)
196782,985back (not recorded in 1965–1966)
196463,601back (not recorded in 1963)
196254,033▼ 936
196183,097▼ 226
196092,871▲ 166
195983,037▲ 238
195873,275▲ 718
195753,993▼ 458
195663,535▼ 30
195563,505back (not recorded in 1953–1954)
195282,875▼ 213
195192,662back (not recorded in 1950)
194982,802back (not recorded in 1944–1948)
194363,231▼ 19
194263,212back (not recorded in 1939–1941)
193853,534back (not recorded in 1933–1937)
193263,361back (not recorded in 1931)
193083,022back (not recorded in 1928–1929)
192783,151back (not recorded in 1924–1926)
192363,822▲ 50
192263,872▲ 450
192154,322▼ 1,863
1920122,459▲ 1,709
191954,168▼ 1,770
1918122,398▲ 558
191782,956back (not recorded in 1913–1916)
191252,544new

Notable people named Able

  • Able Friend is an Australian-bred racehorse who became Hong Kong Horse of the Year in 2015.