'''Abner''' is a given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It is the name of Abner (Hebrew: אַבְנֵר ʾAḇnēr, "father of lamp/light") from the Bible (Book of Samuel), first cousin to King Saul and commander-in-chief of his army.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Abner.html |title=The amazing name Abner: Meaning and etymology}}</ref><ref name="Hanks Hardcastle Hodges 2006">{{cite book |last=Hanks |first=Patrick |authorlink=Patrick Hanks |last2=Hardcastle |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |publisher=Oxford University Press |publication-place=Oxford, England |series=Oxford paperback reference |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |oclc=67869278 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9nd05X_awIgC |page=38 |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> In the United States, it was moderately popular as a given name, but declined in the first half of the 20th century, rarely being used for newborns after the 1930s. Other notable people with the name include:
== Given name == * Abnér (died 760), Irish abbot * Abner of Burgos (c.1270 – c.1347), Jewish philosopher, convert to Christianity and polemical writer against his former religion * Abner Biberman (1909–1977), American actor, director and screenwriter * Abner Coburn (1803–1885), 30th governor of Maine * Abner Cole (1783–1835), American newspaper editor * Abner Cook (1814–1884), Texas architect and general contractor * Abner Cotto (born 1987), Puerto Rican boxer * Abner Dalrymple (1857–1939), American Major League Baseball player * Abner Dean (1910–1982), American cartoonist * Abner Doble (1890–1961), American mechanical engineer who built and sold steam-powered automobiles * Abner Doubleday (1819–1893), American Civil War Union Army general often erroneously credited with inventing baseball * Abner Felipe (born 1996), Brazilian footballer * Abner C. Harding (1807–1874), member of Congress, U.S. Representative from Illinois and Union Army brigadier general during the American Civil War * Abner Haynes (1937–2024), American college and American Football League player * Abner Hazeltine (1793–1879), American politician, U.S. Representative from New York and lawyer * Abner Jay (1921–1993), American multi-instrument musician * Abner Jones (1772–1841), minister and early church reformer in the United States * Abner Kneeland (1774–1844), American radical evangelist and theologian, the last man jailed in the United States for blasphemy * Abner Lacock (1770–1837), American politician, Senator from Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Militia brigadier general, surveyor and civil engineer * Abner Lewis (1801–1879), U.S. Representative from New York, judge and attorney * Abner Smith Lipscomb (1789–1856), Secretary of State for the Republic of Texas, lawyer and judge * Abner Louima (born 1966), Haitian-American victim of police brutality * Abner Mares (born 1985), Mexican boxer who won several world championship titles * Abner Reid McClelan (1831–1917), Canadian politician * Abner J. Mikva (1926–2016), American former U.S. Representative from Illinois, White House Counsel, federal judge and law professor * Abner Nash (1740–1786), second Governor of North Carolina, representative in the Continental Congress and lawyer * Abner Pākī (c. 1808–1855), Hawaiian chief * Abner Monroe Perrin (1827–1864), Confederate general in the American Civil War * Abner Powell (1860–1953), American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner * Abner Read (1821–1863), United States Navy officer killed in the American Civil War * Abner Salles da Silva (born 2004), Brazilian footballer * Abner Shimony (1928–2015), American physicist and philosopher of science * Abner W. Sibal (1921–2000), American politician and U.S. Representative from Connecticut * Abner Silver (1899–1966), American songwriter * Abner Taylor (1829–1903), U.S. Representative from Illinois and businessman * Abner Vinícius (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Abner Wilcox (1808–1869), American missionary teacher in the Kingdom of Hawaii * Abner Wimberly (1926–1976), American football player * Abner Zwillman (1904–1959), Jewish-American gangster
== Surname == * David Abner Sr. (1826–1902), American legislator and former slave * Douglas Abner (born 1996), Brazilian footballer * Ewart Abner (1923–1997), American record company executive * Philip Abner (born 2002), pitcher in Major League Baseball * Shawn Abner (born 1966), American Major League Baseball player * Seth Abner (born 1995), better known as Scump, American professional ''Call of Duty'' player, son of Shawn Abner
== Fictional characters == * Abner Brown, the villain of John Masefield's novel ''The Box of Delights'' * Abner Jenkins, a villain in Marvel Comics * Abner Kravitz, neighbor to central character Samantha Stephens in the 1960s sitcom Bewitched, played by George Tobias * Abner Krill, aka the Polka-Dot Man, a villain in DC Comics * Abner Marsh, the protagonist of George R. R. Martin's novel Fevre Dream * Abner Peabody, a character in the ''Lum and Abner'' American radio program (1931–1954) * Abner Ravenwood, father of Marion Ravenwood * Abner Yokum, title character of the American comic strip ''L'il Abner''
== See also == {{srt|name}} * Avenir (given name), a related Russian male first name
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Given name|type=both}} <!-- It does not help to add disambig or hndis tags where the page only contains people who share a given name or surname --> Category:Masculine given names Category:Jewish given names Category:Modern names of Hebrew origin Category:English masculine given names Category:Hebrew-language names Category:Hebrew masculine given names