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. 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 Uribe (born 2000), Dominican baseball player 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
Avenir (given name), a related Russian male first name Avner (name)
References