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

Abbey, 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 Abbey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abbey in America

Abbey is the 6574th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abbey surname appeared 5,150 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 Abbey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abbey 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 Abbey

The surname ABBEY is of Anglo-Saxon origin, first appearing in England in the 11th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English word "abbaed," meaning "abbey" or "monastery." This suggests that the name originated from someone who lived near an abbey or worked within the abbey grounds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ABBEY surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Abbedis." This entry refers to a landowner or tenant in the county of Berkshire, England. The spelling variations during this period included Abbedis, Abedy, and Abedie.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the ABBEY surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire, where many abbeys and monasteries were located. This lends further credence to the name's monastic origins.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the ABBEY surname was John Abbey, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1230. Another early record is that of Robert de Abbedis, who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1212.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ABBEY name was associated with several notable individuals. One was Edward Abbey (c. 1550-1616), an English poet and dramatist who wrote the play "The London Prodigal." Another was Ralph Abbey (1589-1654), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Whitchurch in Shropshire.

In the 18th century, Thomas Abbey (1733-1805) was a prominent British architect who designed several notable buildings in Bath, including the Sydney Gardens and the Grand Parade. Meanwhile, John Abbey (1785-1859) was an English engraver and publisher known for his illustrations of Shakespeare's works.

As the surname spread across the British Isles and beyond, it took on various spellings, including Abbe, Abby, and Abbie. However, the ABBEY spelling remained the most common throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abbey

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

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

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

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