Abbigail

Abbigail is a very modern spelling alteration of Abigail (some parents just decided to add an extra “B”). Abigail is a name borne from the Bible as one of King David’s wives. The name comes from a Hebrew word (Avigayil) which means “Father’s joy”. She shows up in the Bible (1 Samuel 25-30) as Nabal’s wife “…the name of his wife Abigail and she was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance.” In the Biblical story, Abigail’s husband Nabal refuses David and his soldiers supplies despite the fact they had protected his shepherds and possessions from harm. Therefore, the lovely Abigail brought David and his men offerings instead (at least someone had some manners in that family!). After Nabal’s death, Abigail accepted David’s offer of marriage and she became one of his many wives. The name came into popularity in England in the 16th century under the influence of the Puritans who world eventually bring the name to the American colonies. Interestingly, it was also a common character name in 17th century literature for a lady’s maid or servant. The spelling of Abbigail appears to be mainly used in the United States and is not nearly as popular as the traditional spelling of Abigail.