2000
#10,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Abbate
An occupational surname referring to an abbot or a person employed at an abbey.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,956 Americans carry the last name Abbate. That puts it at #11,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abbate 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
3.0K
1 in 115,952
Census rank
#11,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,578 bearers of the surname Abbate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbate, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abbate
The surname Abbate originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. It is derived from the Italian word "abbate," which means "abbot" and stems from the Latin word "abbas." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who held religious positions or had connections to monasteries or abbeys.
During the Middle Ages, the name Abbate appeared in various historical records and documents. One notable mention can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of charters and documents from the Benedictine Abbey of Cava in Campania, dating back to the 9th century. This indicates that the name was already in use during that period.
The earliest recorded bearer of the surname Abbate was Giacomo Abbate, a Sicilian nobleman who lived in the 12th century. He was mentioned in a legal document from 1178, where he was referred to as "Jacobus Abbate." Another early instance of the name can be found in the Chronica Monasterii Casinensis, a chronicle of the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino, which mentions a certain Adamo Abbate in the year 1231.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Abbate:
1. Niccolò Abbate (c. 1512-1571), an Italian painter and architect from Modena, known for his work in various churches and palaces in northern Italy.
2. Pietro Abbate (c. 1575-1646), an Italian composer and organist from Palermo, Sicily, who was active during the early Baroque period.
3. Gaetano Abbate (1822-1888), an Italian jurist and politician from Naples, who served as the Minister of Justice in the Kingdom of Italy from 1867 to 1868.
4. Francesco Abbate (1868-1933), an Italian painter and sculptor from Naples, known for his depictions of scenes from everyday life and his involvement in the Verismo movement.
5. Vincenzo Abbate (1920-2007), an Italian film director and screenwriter, best known for his collaborations with renowned actors like Totò and Vittorio Gassman.
While the surname Abbate is predominantly Italian, it has also been adopted in other regions and countries due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots can be traced back to the Italian peninsula, where it originated as a name associated with religious institutions and the clergy during the Medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abbate
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbate, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Abbate 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 Abbate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,335
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 154
- Two or more races2.1% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abbate
Abbate 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
#11,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,692
+19 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 721 places
2020
#11,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,578
-114 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,923 | 2,673 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,644 | 2,692 | 0.91 | +19 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 721 places |
| 2020 | #11,641 | 2,578 | 0.86 | -114 bearers (-4.2%) | Up 3 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 Abbate 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 | #11,644 | #11,641 | 0.0% |
| Count | 2,692 | 2,578 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.86 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abbate bearers went from 2,692 to 2,578 (-4.2% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,644 to #11,641.
FAQ
Abbate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abbate?
Name Census estimates that about 2,956 living Americans carry the surname Abbate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,952 residents.
How common is Abbate?
Abbate ranks #11,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,578 people with the surname Abbate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,956), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Abbate.
Has Abbate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abbate went from 2,692 recorded bearers to 2,578. That is a decrease of 114 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,644 to #11,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Abbate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbate, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Abbate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abbate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Abbate (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 Abbate mean?
An occupational surname referring to an abbot or a person employed at an abbey. 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 Abbate (0.86 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 many people are called Abbate?
You can see how many people have the last name Abbate on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.