Abel
m.
Traditionally derived from Hebrew הֶבֶל '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.
Geneva Bible (1560): Abél, Habél.
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
-
- Latin
- ● 1189 Abel (nom) GASurv p. 101
- Early Modern English
- ● 1598 Abell BEmar-vol2 p. 31
- France
-
- Latin
- ● 1179 Abel (abl) clairvaux-12thc 177
- Middle French
- ● 1588 Abel raymond1588 p. 564
Cite as: G. Grim, R. Le Get, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Abel". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2015, no. 3. http://dmnes.org/2015/3/name/Abel.