Find out how popular the last name Abad is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Abad.

Abad, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Abad surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abad in America

Abad is the 5401st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abad surname appeared 6,446 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Abad.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abad to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Abad

The surname Abad originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic word "abad," which means "servant" or "worshipper" of God. This surname was commonly used by Moors and Sephardic Jews who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista.

The earliest recorded instances of the Abad surname can be found in documents from the 12th and 13th centuries in regions like Aragon, Valencia, and Catalonia. These areas were under Moorish rule for several centuries before being reconquered by Christian kingdoms.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Abad surname was Rabbi Meir Abad, a prominent Jewish philosopher and theologian who lived in Toledo, Spain, during the 12th century. He was known for his work on the reconciliation of Jewish and Aristotelian thought.

In the 14th century, the Abad surname appears in the Libro de Repartimiento de Mallorca, a document that recorded the distribution of land and property on the island of Mallorca after its reconquest from the Moors in 1229.

During the 15th century, Juan Abad was a renowned Spanish poet and writer who served as a secretary to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. He is best known for his work Crónica de los Reyes Católicos.

In the 16th century, Diego Abad de Santillán was a notable Spanish historian and writer. He authored several works, including the Historia del Gran Capitán, a biography of the famous Spanish military commander Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba.

Another notable figure with the Abad surname was Pedro Abad y Lleixa, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived in the 17th century. He is known for his religious and historical works, many of which can be found in churches and museums across Spain.

Throughout history, the Abad surname has been associated with various professions, including religious figures, writers, artists, and scholars. While its origins can be traced back to the Moorish and Sephardic Jewish communities in medieval Spain, the surname has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abad

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Abad.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Abad was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Abad has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Abad was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Abad, please contact us.

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