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

Abell, 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 Abell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abell in America

Abell is the 4811th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abell surname appeared 7,339 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 Abell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abell 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 Abell

The surname ABELL is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the personal name Abel, a variation of the Hebrew name Hevel, meaning "breath" or "transitory." The name can be traced back to the 12th century in England.

The surname ABELL likely originated in the county of Oxfordshire, where it was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Abell." This early record suggests that the name may have been derived from a place name or a topographical feature in the area.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Abell, Abbell, and Habel, reflecting the different regional pronunciations and spellings of the time. The surname ABELL was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is John Abell, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1280. Another notable bearer was William Abell, a 14th-century English scholar and theologian who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1389 to 1399.

In the 16th century, the surname gained prominence with Sir Maurice Abell (1505-1558), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Oxfordshire. He was knighted by King Henry VIII and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Wallingford.

Another significant figure was John Abell (1572-1633), an English Catholic missionary and martyr who was executed during the reign of King James I for his religious beliefs. He is remembered as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

In the 17th century, the name ABELL was associated with the town of Abell in Derbyshire, which likely derived its name from the same source as the surname. One notable bearer was John Abell (1614-1677), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire.

Other notable individuals with the surname ABELL include William Abell (1804-1888), an English painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and historical scenes, and Truman Abell (1892-1963), an American journalist and author who co-founded the legendary Washington D.C. newspaper, The Times-Herald.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abell

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!