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

Abb, 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 Abb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abb in America

Abb is the 131379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abb surname appeared 129 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Abb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abb 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 Abb

The surname ABB is of English origin, with roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "abbe," which referred to an abbot or a superior of a monastery.

The earliest recorded mention of the surname ABB can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This historical document lists several individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Abba and Abbe, primarily concentrated in the counties of Sussex and Oxfordshire.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various medieval records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which document the name Abbe in Lincolnshire. The Pipe Rolls of 1195 also mention a Walter Abbe in Gloucestershire. These early records suggest that the name was widely distributed across different regions of England.

One notable figure bearing the surname ABB was William Abbe, a 14th-century English theologian and philosopher who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1337 to 1349. He was renowned for his contributions to scholastic philosophy and his writings on logic and metaphysics.

Another significant individual was Thomas Abbe (c. 1610-1689), an English clergyman who became the rector of St. Mary's Church in Oxfordshire. He is best known for his work on the English translation of the Bible, contributing to the revisions that would later become the King James Version.

In the 17th century, the surname ABB also appears in connection with the early settlements in America. One notable bearer was Samuel Abbe (1619-1696), an English Puritan who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1637 and became a prominent figure in the town of Salem, serving as a deacon and town clerk.

The surname ABB has also been associated with the Abbe family of industrialists in Germany. Johann Abbe (1851-1936), a renowned German optician and entrepreneur, co-founded the optical company Carl Zeiss AG and made significant contributions to the field of optics and lens design.

Throughout its history, the surname ABB has undergone various spelling variations, including Abbe, Abb, and Abbey, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier periods. While the name has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abb

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

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 Abb 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 Abb 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 Abb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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