Nameling

Abby

Gender
Girl
Say it
AB-ee
Origin
Hebrew
UK rank, 2025
#1,690 for girls
US rank, 2025
#731 for girls

Big in Scotland

Abby is a girls' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “my father is joy”. In 2025 it ranked 1,690th for girls in the UK (18 babies) and 731st for girls in the US (379 babies).

What does Abby mean?

Hebrew: short form of Abigail

“my father is joy”

Abigail is a wife of King David in the Bible, praised for her good sense.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Abby a girl's or a boy's name?

Abby is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 18 girls in the UK and 379 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Abby in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#1,690among girls
Babies in 2025
18about 1 in 15,000 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 48% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 18 girls in the UK were named Abby, making it the 1,690th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,009th. Its busiest year was 2003, with 689 girls.

Half of all the girls named Abby in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2007. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 46 girls in the UK were given Abby or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #770, up from #1,690 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 2,603rd in England and Wales, 539th in Scotland and 397th in Northern Ireland.

1996Busiest: 689 in 20032025
Abby in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202518#1,690
202425#1,356
202314#2,070
202225#1,363
202129#1,231
202036#1,009
201933#1,110
201841#964
201765#687
201684#551
201562#702
201487#542
2013114#416
2012113#443
2011146#360
2010159#323
2009172#298
2008211#260
2007290#212
2006238#227
2005334#176
2004574#104
2003689#83
2002602#93
2001589#98
2000461#123
1999351#147
1998339#155
1997319#162
1996315#159

How popular is Abby in the US?

Rank in 2025
#731among girls
Babies in 2025
379about 1 in 4,200 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 29% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 379 girls in the US were named Abby, making it the 731st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 509th. Its busiest year was 2003, with 2,048 girls.

2025 had fewer girls named Abby than any year since 1977.

Half of all the girls named Abby in the US since 1880 were born between 1986 and 2007, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 533 girls in the US were given Abby or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #561, up from #731 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 2,048 in 20032025
Abby in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025379#731
2024478#624
2023475#624
2022510#587
2021524#576
2020597#509
2019624#505
2018658#474
2017703#451
2016727#442
2015728#434
2014843#388
2013907#352
20121,038#309
20111,065#295
20101,149#284
20091,281#255
20081,332#259
20071,579#220
20061,686#205
20051,754#198
20042,024#166
20032,048#164
20021,961#166
20011,986#163
20001,566#205
19991,810#174
19981,608#194
19971,565#192
19961,419#207
19951,378#209
19941,372#213
19931,176#240
19921,081#260
19911,174#237
19901,293#222
19891,274#212
19881,222#213
19871,052#245
19861,120#232
19851,207#213
19841,263#208
19831,310#200
19821,299#210
19811,211#218
1980930#268
1979791#302
1978619#349
1977279#607
1976256#611
1975240#639
1974220#677
1973191#734
1972167#808
1971204#735
1970171#810
1969148#854
1968134#887
1967161#779
1966187#717
1965222#660
1964217#703
1963236#657
1962286#584
1961236#672
1960241#653
1959176#768
1958154#810
1957169#766
1956117#933
1955108#948
1954108#925
195385#1,049
195295#965
195182#1,026
195068#1,113
194958#1,188
194865#1,104
194746#1,356
194642#1,336
194534#1,373
194432#1,432
194352#1,112
194246#1,162
194132#1,355
194037#1,203
193924#1,544
193821#1,703
193725#1,493
193618#1,801
193526#1,449
193415#2,086
193315#2,051
193221#1,684
193119#1,802
193016#2,109
192911#2,736
192829#1,468
192718#2,094
192624#1,720
192526#1,646
192415#2,408
192315#2,366
192213#2,611
192111#2,940
192015#2,357
191917#2,063
19186#4,289
191711#2,692
191616#2,028
191511#2,525
191411#2,125
191311#1,883
19128#2,143
191113#1,300
19106#2,140
19098#1,607
19080–
19075#2,060
19066#1,727
19050–
19040–
190310#1,137
19027#1,438
19016#1,466
19007#1,560
18990–
18986#1,501
18976#1,384
18966#1,416
18950–
18945#1,484
189310#955
18926#1,278
189112#796
18906#1,209
18898#950
18889#894
18875#1,147
18867#897
18855#1,047
18846#930
18830–
188211#560
18817#679
18806#738

Names like Abby

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Molly Emily Abigail Holly Amber Hannah Leah Amy Jasmine Jessica Zoe Mia

Other spellings of Abby

Abbie Aby Abi Abbi

Names related to Abby

Abbey Abbe Abbye

More Hebrew names

Noah Isabella Elijah James Jack Ava Jude Ezra Benjamin Isaac Jacob Ethan Daniel Samuel Elias Mateo

Every Hebrew name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Abby: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/abby, updated 20 October 2026.