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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Abel m. Traditionally derived from Hebrew לבֶהֶ 'breath, vapor; vanity'.

The name of an early Syrian saint, an early Coptic saint, an 8th C French saint, and a 13th C king of Denmark.

The name was moderately common in England in the 13th C, but then fell out of use until being revived in the late 16th C.

England
English
1598 Abell BEmar-vol2 p. 31
France
Middle French
1588 Abel raymond1588 p. 564
Hungary
Latin or Hungarian
1138x1329 Abel ÁSznt p 40; 1181 Abel ibid. p. 40; 1208x1359 Abel ibid. p 40; 1211 Abel ibid. p. 40; 1215x1550 Abel ibid. p 40; 1337 Abel Slíz p. 11
Preview. DO NOT cite as: G. Grim, M. Slíz, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Abel". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2015, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2015/1/name/Abel.