Abbas
Masculine · “lion”
Abbas is a lion in Arabic — a stern or frowning one — and it was the name of the Prophet's uncle, from whom a caliphate took its name.
How old is the name Abbas?
Abbas first appears in US birth records in 1975 — 50 years ago. The typical Abbas is a kid of about 12 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,800 people named Abbas are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Abbas most popular?
Abbas peaked in 2018, reaching #1671 nationally. Today it ranks #2284, 613 places below that high. See the whole 2018 chart.
Where it comes from
From abasa to Abbas
The story of Abbas
Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib was the Prophet's uncle, and his descendants overthrew the Umayyads in 750 to found the Abbasid caliphate, which ruled from Baghdad for five centuries. Abbas ibn Ali is central to Shia devotion. The name is standard across Muslim naming and is in current American use.
Meaning
lion; stern
From the Arabic abbas, 'lion', from a root meaning 'to frown' or 'look stern' — one of several Arabic words for a lion, this one carrying severity. The Abbasid caliphate is named for the Prophet's uncle al-Abbas. The Arabic is documented.
How the name formed
- abasa
- abbas
- Abbas
Related forms: عباس · Abbas · Abbas
Pronouncing Abbas
ah-BAHS
Two syllables, stress on the second. The initial ayin of the Arabic has no English equivalent.
Nicknames for Abbas
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1975
- Most boys named
- 201895 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1671reached in 2018
- Change vs 2024
- −28.2%61 in 2025, from 85
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Abbas in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- عباس in Arabic — transliteration
- Abbas in Persian — same name
- Abbas in Turkish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Michigan, California, Texas.
Abbass among us
people named Abbas are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 28,001 born in 2025 was named Abbas
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Tahir test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Abbas's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Tahir climbed just as high around 1999, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Tahir's path sketches the road Abbas is walking now.
Abbas sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Abbas is headed
Abbas should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Abbas beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Abbas in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the word for lion here comes from frowning is a first-rate detail.
- A five-century caliphate is named for the man who carried it.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk in English.
- The initial consonant is not reproducible in English.
- It reads as specifically Muslim.
- Abbas and Abbas-derived surnames are widespread and may confuse.
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What they receive
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Abbas
Masculine · #2284 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Abbass are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,800 people named Abbas are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Abbas in 2025?
- Abbas ranks #2284 among US boy names in 2025, with 61 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Abbas?
- About 1 in every 28,001 US boys born in 2025 was named Abbas — 61 in all.
- Will my child share the name Abbas with classmates?
- Abbas will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Abbas
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Aman#2284 · Flint#2284 · Carsyn#2284 · Sulayman#2284 · Quade#2284 · Bruin#2284 · Zacari#2284 · Natan#2284
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Abbas? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Abbas and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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