2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Abb
A surname of unknown origin and meaning, possibly derived from a nickname or a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Abb. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abb surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Abb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abb, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 This historical document lists several individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Abba and Abbe, primarily concentrated in the counties of Sussex and Oxfordshire.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abb
Among Census respondents with the surname Abb, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Abb bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Abb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 101
- Black or African American6.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abb
Abb appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+4 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,979 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,409 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 4,979 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 11,409 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Abb surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #131,379 | #142,788 | -8.7% |
| Count | 129 | 119 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abb bearers went from 129 to 119 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 11,409 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #142,788.
FAQ
Abb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abb?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Abb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Abb?
Abb ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Abb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Abb.
Has Abb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abb went from 129 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Abb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abb, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Abb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (6.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Abb (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Abb mean?
A surname of unknown origin and meaning, possibly derived from a nickname or a place name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Abb (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Abb?
Want to know how common the surname Abb is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.