Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve, a shepherd whose offering of the firstlings of his flock the LORD accepted. His name means breath or vapour — poignantly, for his life was brief: he was killed by his brother Cain in the first murder, his blood crying from the ground.
Yet the New Testament gives Abel the last word. Hebrews lists him first in its roll of faith — by faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice — and says that he being dead yet speaketh. His name became a byword for the righteous who suffer, and his faith outlasts his short life.
Abel is gentle and increasingly chosen — a quiet, biblical name with deep roots.
Variants & nicknames
Abe
Abel in the Bible
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.