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
- Pronounced AY-buhl /ˈeɪ.bəl/
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.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1912–2025 80 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | 5,045 | ▲ 196 |
| 2024 | 18 | 5,241 | ▲ 979 |
| 2023 | 14 | 6,220 | ▼ 2,756 |
| 2022 | 33 | 3,464 | ▲ 118 |
| 2021 | 31 | 3,582 | ▼ 12 |
| 2020 | 30 | 3,570 | ▲ 910 |
| 2019 | 22 | 4,480 | ▼ 1,240 |
| 2018 | 35 | 3,240 | ▲ 72 |
| 2017 | 34 | 3,312 | ▼ 377 |
| 2016 | 40 | 2,935 | ▼ 71 |
| 2015 | 41 | 2,864 | ▼ 203 |
| 2014 | 45 | 2,661 | ▲ 143 |
| 2013 | 41 | 2,804 | ▲ 493 |
| 2012 | 33 | 3,297 | ▲ 9 |
| 2011 | 33 | 3,306 | ▲ 1,060 |
| 2010 | 22 | 4,366 | ▼ 206 |
| 2009 | 24 | 4,160 | ▲ 741 |
| 2008 | 19 | 4,901 | ▼ 1,008 |
| 2007 | 26 | 3,893 | ▲ 1,888 |
| 2006 | 14 | 5,781 | ▼ 503 |
| 2005 | 15 | 5,278 | ▲ 214 |
| 2004 | 14 | 5,492 | ▲ 385 |
| 2003 | 12 | 5,877 | ▲ 1,178 |
| 2002 | 9 | 7,055 | ▼ 1,042 |
| 2001 | 11 | 6,013 | ▼ 1,440 |
| 2000 | 16 | 4,573 | ▼ 36 |
| 1999 | 15 | 4,537 | ▲ 622 |
| 1998 | 12 | 5,159 | ▼ 1,282 |
| 1997 | 17 | 3,877 | ▲ 2,619 |
| 1996 | 8 | 6,496 | ▼ 995 |
| 1995 | 10 | 5,501 | ▼ 49 |
| 1994 | 10 | 5,452 | back (not recorded in 1993) |
| 1992 | 8 | 6,128 | ▼ 1,368 |
| 1991 | 11 | 4,760 | ▲ 1,063 |
| 1990 | 8 | 5,823 | ▼ 2,205 |
| 1989 | 15 | 3,618 | ▲ 1,582 |
| 1988 | 8 | 5,200 | ▼ 961 |
| 1987 | 10 | 4,239 | ▲ 1,687 |
| 1986 | 6 | 5,926 | back (not recorded in 1985) |
| 1984 | 8 | 4,552 | ▼ 922 |
| 1983 | 11 | 3,630 | ▲ 336 |
| 1982 | 10 | 3,966 | ▼ 936 |
| 1981 | 14 | 3,030 | ▲ 226 |
| 1980 | 13 | 3,256 | ▲ 313 |
| 1979 | 11 | 3,569 | ▲ 1,491 |
| 1978 | 6 | 5,060 | back (not recorded in 1977) |
| 1976 | 7 | 4,418 | ▼ 1,516 |
| 1975 | 13 | 2,902 | ▲ 416 |
| 1974 | 10 | 3,318 | ▲ 1,187 |
| 1973 | 6 | 4,505 | ▼ 1,514 |
| 1972 | 11 | 2,991 | ▲ 379 |
| 1971 | 9 | 3,370 | back (not recorded in 1970) |
| 1969 | 6 | 3,935 | back (not recorded in 1968) |
| 1967 | 8 | 2,985 | back (not recorded in 1965–1966) |
| 1964 | 6 | 3,601 | back (not recorded in 1963) |
| 1962 | 5 | 4,033 | ▼ 936 |
| 1961 | 8 | 3,097 | ▼ 226 |
| 1960 | 9 | 2,871 | ▲ 166 |
| 1959 | 8 | 3,037 | ▲ 238 |
| 1958 | 7 | 3,275 | ▲ 718 |
| 1957 | 5 | 3,993 | ▼ 458 |
| 1956 | 6 | 3,535 | ▼ 30 |
| 1955 | 6 | 3,505 | back (not recorded in 1953–1954) |
| 1952 | 8 | 2,875 | ▼ 213 |
| 1951 | 9 | 2,662 | back (not recorded in 1950) |
| 1949 | 8 | 2,802 | back (not recorded in 1944–1948) |
| 1943 | 6 | 3,231 | ▼ 19 |
| 1942 | 6 | 3,212 | back (not recorded in 1939–1941) |
| 1938 | 5 | 3,534 | back (not recorded in 1933–1937) |
| 1932 | 6 | 3,361 | back (not recorded in 1931) |
| 1930 | 8 | 3,022 | back (not recorded in 1928–1929) |
| 1927 | 8 | 3,151 | back (not recorded in 1924–1926) |
| 1923 | 6 | 3,822 | ▲ 50 |
| 1922 | 6 | 3,872 | ▲ 450 |
| 1921 | 5 | 4,322 | ▼ 1,863 |
| 1920 | 12 | 2,459 | ▲ 1,709 |
| 1919 | 5 | 4,168 | ▼ 1,770 |
| 1918 | 12 | 2,398 | ▲ 558 |
| 1917 | 8 | 2,956 | back (not recorded in 1913–1916) |
| 1912 | 5 | 2,544 | new |
Notable people named Able
- Able Friend is an Australian-bred racehorse who became Hong Kong Horse of the Year in 2015.