boy's name
Fabian
FAY-bee-un
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 53,194
the United States
#468
2025 births
Fabian means bean grower, and the general who carried it gave English a word for winning by refusing to fight — Fabian tactics, and the Fabian Society that named itself after his patience. Roman clan names often came from crops.
- Fabian is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2007, when 1,403 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,062 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Fabian over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 |
| 1900s | 42 |
| 1910s | 213 |
| 1920s | 353 |
| 1930s | 253 |
| 1940s | 247 |
| 1950s | 575 |
| 1960s | 1,630 |
| 1970s | 2,665 |
| 1980s | 4,537 |
| 1990s | 8,169 |
| 2000s | 12,003 |
| 2010s | 9,793 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,092 |
What Fabian means
Fabian means of the Fabius family, and that family name descends from the word for a bean. It records a crop rather than a virtue, which was ordinary for Roman clan names.
Where Fabian comes from
Fabian is the Roman Fabianus, of the gens Fabia, whose name is generally traced to faba, a broad bean — Roman clan names frequently came from crops, as Cicero's did from the chickpea and Lentulus's from the lentil. Quintus Fabius Maximus wore Hannibal down by refusing battle and was nicknamed Cunctator, the delayer. The Fabian Society took its name from that strategy of patient gradualism rather than revolution.
Fabian in use
Fabian peaked in the United States in 2007, when 1,403 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 468th in the United States on 655 births, 550th in Ireland on 6, 552nd in England and Wales on 71 and 2919th in France on 10, across 53,194 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. France ran its own peak of 215 births in 1998.
How popular is Fabian?
In 2025, Fabian was given to 655 babies in the United States, ranking #468 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Fabian is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Fabian
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Fabian also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Fabian over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Fabian in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Fabian
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Fabian — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Fabian
What does the name Fabian mean?
Of the Fabius family — a clan name from faba, a broad bean.
Why are Roman names about crops?
It was ordinary. Cicero comes from the chickpea and Lentulus from the lentil.
What are Fabian tactics?
Wearing an enemy down by refusing battle, after Fabius Maximus against Hannibal.
Is the Fabian Society named for him?
Yes — for his patient gradualism rather than revolution.
How popular is the name Fabian?
In 2025, Fabian was given to 655 babies in the United States, ranking #468 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Fabian a girl's or a boy's name?
Fabian is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Fabian?
Fabian has 3 syllables.
When was Fabian most popular?
Fabian peaked in 2007, when 1,403 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Fabian a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Fabian currently ranks #468 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.