| Abel | Micah | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Breath | who is like Yahweh? |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AY-bul | MY-kah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1946 |
| Peak year | 2015 (3,245) | 2022 (3,969) |
| In 2025 | 1,525 | 3,817 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Abel | Micah |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,674 | 22,651 |
| 2010s | 23,554 | 36,739 |
| 2000s | 8,364 | 27,018 |
| 1990s | 6,484 | 13,754 |
| 1980s | 4,730 | 11,031 |
| 1970s | 3,528 | 6,979 |
| 1960s | 2,665 | 1,134 |
| 1950s | 2,088 | 238 |
| 1940s | 1,225 | 27 |
| 1930s | 939 | 0 |
| 1920s | 881 | 0 |
| 1910s | 559 | 0 |
| 1900s | 121 | 0 |
| 1890s | 118 | 0 |
| 1880s | 107 | 0 |
From the Hebrew Hevel, usually read “breath” or “vapour.” Abel is the son of Adam in Genesis.
A shortened form of Micaiah (Mikayahu), built as a rhetorical question: mi 'who' + ka 'like' + Yah (short for Yahweh), 'Who is like Yah(weh)?' It is not a literal statement but a theophoric name affirming God's incomparability. Distinct from Michael, which uses El rather than Yah.
Micah is more popular than Abel today: about 3,817 US babies were given the name Micah in 2025, compared with 1,525 named Abel.
Abel means Breath (Hebrew origin), while Micah means who is like Yahweh? (hebrew origin).
In US records, Abel first appears in 1880 and Micah in 1946, so Abel has the longer recorded history.