Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Anibal isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Anibal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,950
- 3,928 boys · 22 girls
- Most popular year
- 1990
- 92 babies
- 2025
- 38
- #3,128 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 38 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,128 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 92 in 1990. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,137 as a first name in 2020; 188 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Anibal’s family of names
In Turkish usage, Anibal has a conventional equivalent in the German form Hannibal. In Turkish usage, Anibal has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Aníbal.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Anibal
- Aníbal ChaláEcuadorian footballerborn 1996
- Aníbal EscalanteCuban communist and political organizer (1909-1977)
- Anibal João MeloAngolan writer and journalistborn 1955
- Anibal JoséPortuguese footballer (1904-1976)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Anibal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Arion
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>99% boys
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“the eighth-born child”
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Alfredo
“one who counsels the elves”
>99% boys