2000
#18,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,333
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Abbe
A French occupational surname for an abbot or a nickname for someone who acted like an abbot.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,532 Americans carry the last name Abbe. That puts it at #20,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 223,730 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abbe 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
1.5K
1 in 223,730
Census rank
#20,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,336 bearers of the surname Abbe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbe, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abbe
The surname Abbe is derived from the Old French word "abbe" which means "abbot." The name has its origins in medieval France, particularly in the northern regions, where it was initially used as an occupational name for someone who served as an abbot or had some association with a monastery or abbey.
During the Middle Ages, abbeys and monasteries were influential centers of learning, religion, and power. Many individuals took on surnames related to their occupation or association with these institutions. The surname Abbe likely emerged during this period, initially identifying individuals who held the position of abbot or had a close connection to an abbey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Abbe can be found in the 13th century in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a collection of records from the reign of King Edward I of England. This document mentions individuals with the surname Abbe residing in various counties of England, suggesting that the name had already spread beyond its French origins.
In the 14th century, the surname Abbe appeared in several historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where a person named William Abbe was mentioned. This indicates that the name was well-established in England by this time.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Abbe throughout history include:
1. Robert Abbe (1851-1928), an American surgeon known for his contributions to the field of plastic surgery and the treatment of deformities.
2. Cleveland Abbe (1838-1916), an American meteorologist who helped establish the National Weather Service in the United States.
3. Ernst Abbe (1840-1905), a German physicist and optical engineer who made significant contributions to the development of microscopes and optics.
4. Alphonse Abbe (1836-1914), a French archaeologist and Assyriologist known for his work on cuneiform inscriptions and Babylonian history.
5. Pierre Abbe (1606-1690), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and worked among the Huron and Iroquois tribes.
The surname Abbe has also been associated with various place names, particularly in France and England. For example, the village of Abbeville in northern France is believed to have derived its name from an abbey that existed there. Similarly, the town of Abberbury in Shropshire, England, is thought to have originated from a combination of the Old English word "abbe" and the word "bury," meaning a fortified place or town.
While the surname Abbe has its roots in medieval France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. The name continues to be found in many countries today, carrying with it a rich history and connection to the religious and occupational traditions of the past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abbe
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbe, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Abbe 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 Abbe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 1,170
- Black or African American5.7% · 76
- Two or more races3.2% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abbe
Abbe 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
#19,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,368
+35 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 759 places
2020
#20,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,336
-32 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,938 | 1,333 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,697 | 1,368 | 0.46 | +35 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 759 places |
| 2020 | #20,150 | 1,336 | 0.45 | -32 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 453 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 Abbe 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 | #19,697 | #20,150 | -2.3% |
| Count | 1,368 | 1,336 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.45 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abbe bearers went from 1,368 to 1,336 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 453 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,697 to #20,150.
FAQ
Abbe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abbe?
Name Census estimates that about 1,532 living Americans carry the surname Abbe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 223,730 residents.
How common is Abbe?
Abbe ranks #20,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,336 people with the surname Abbe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,532), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Abbe.
Has Abbe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abbe went from 1,368 recorded bearers to 1,336. That is a decrease of 32 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,697 to #20,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Abbe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbe, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Abbe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (1,170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abbe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Abbe (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 Abbe mean?
A French occupational surname for an abbot or a nickname for someone who acted like an abbot. 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 Abbe (0.45 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 Americans have the surname Abbe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.