Abel vs Bob
Abel and Bobcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2023, Abel was ranked #153 and Bob #4107 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Abel was ranked #362 and Bob #770 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Abel and Bob over time
Abel and Bob appear together in 1 published list, across 25 years of shared records. Abel held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Bob in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Bob reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Abel in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Mirrored each other
Over 25 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Abel rose about as far as Bob fell — from #1337 and #1765 in 1996 to #153 and #4107 in 2023.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys25 shared years, 1996–2023
Abel held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Bob in 0.
Highest recorded here: Abel #153 in 2023, Bob #1485 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Abel #153, Bob #4107.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Abel | Bob |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #110 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #770 (2023) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Abel has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Bob.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Abel
Popularity journey
First recorded1977
First recorded at #581 among boys in Norway in 1977 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1977–2025
Highest recorded position: #82 among boys in Norway, in 2021 (recorded 1977–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #110 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Bob
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1765 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2008–2023
Highest recorded position: #529 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2008 (recorded 2008–2023).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #4107 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys