Abishag

After David’s death, Abishag became a pawn in the succession struggle: when Adonijah (David’s eldest surviving son) asked to marry Abishag, King Solomon had him executed, interpreting the request as a veiled bid for royal power—since the king’s women were considered symbols of royal succession (1 Kings 2:13–25).

Abishag’s presence at the center of this lethal court politics gives her a significant role despite her passive portrayal in the text.

Abishag is effectively unused as a modern given name. It appears in Puritan-era American records where biblical names were drawn without regard for gender, but even in that tradition Abishag remained rare.

The name is primarily of interest to biblical scholars, literary analysts (the Shunammite-as-caretaker motif has attracted feminist biblical readings), and historians of ancient Israelite court culture. Further reading: etymology records and US popularity records from SSA.