Meaning Hebrew "father of many" (Abraham); the earlier Abram is "exalted father."
Figure Patriarch of Israel; God's covenant partner (Genesis 12-25).
Traditions CATHOLICORTHODOXANGLICANPROTESTANT
In the Christian tradition
Abraham is the patriarch through whom the covenant with God comes to Israel; his story spans Genesis 12 to 25 and his name change from Abram to Abraham (Genesis 17:5) marks the covenant. The name is honored across all Christian traditions and shared with the Jewish and Islamic traditions. Modern Christian families use the name freely.
The renaming of Abram to Abraham in Genesis 17:5 is a foundational text in the Christian tradition's understanding of how God names and renames. The Catholic Catechism (§59-§64) treats Abraham as the father of God's people and the model of faith; the Letter to the Hebrews (chapter 11) holds him up as the principal Old Testament example of faith for the Christian community. The Catholic and Orthodox calendars commemorate Abraham in shared feasts of the patriarchs; some Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions observe a Sunday of the Forefathers before the Nativity that names him. The name remains in steady Christian use, with particular weight in families wishing to mark the child as part of the long covenant story.