Abee last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Abee

A habitational surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to an abbey or a person living near one.

Abee, 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 Abee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abee in America

Abee is the 36379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abee surname appeared 615 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 Abee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abee 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 36379 30292 18.26%
Count 615 729 -16.96%
Proportion per 100k 0.21 0.27 -25.00%

The history of the last name Abee

The surname Abee has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the early medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "abbu," meaning "forefather" or "ancestor." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who was seen as a patriarch or elder within their community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Abee surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in the records as "Abbe," likely an earlier spelling variation.

During the 13th century, the Abee surname began to appear more frequently in various historical documents, particularly in the counties of Hertfordshire and Essex. This may indicate that the name had its stronghold in the southeastern regions of England during this time period.

A notable figure bearing the Abee surname was Sir John Abee, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the late 14th century. Records show that he held significant estates in the county of Norfolk and was a influential figure in the local community.

Another individual of note was Reverend William Abee, a clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in the village of Little Waldingfield, Suffolk, during the 16th century. He is mentioned in several parish records from that era.

In the 17th century, the Abee surname was associated with the village of Abee's Green, located in the county of Hertfordshire. This place name likely derived from the surname itself, suggesting that the Abee family had a strong presence in the area at that time.

One of the earliest known emigrants to the American colonies was Richard Abee, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. He went on to establish a successful plantation and played a role in the early development of the colony.

Throughout the centuries, the Abee surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Abby, Abbey, and Abbe, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier times. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its distinct identity and continues to be carried by families around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abee

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

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 Abee was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.42% 593
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.81% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.98% 6
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.81% 5
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Abee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.42% 95.06% 1.42%
Black (S)% 0.96% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.81% 0.82% -1.23%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.98% 0.69% 34.73%
Two or More Races 0.81% 1.23% -41.18%
Hispanic (S)% 1.23% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Abee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 11, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/abee-surname-popularity/.

"Abee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/abee-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 December, 2024

Abee last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/abee-surname-popularity/.

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