2000
#4,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,860
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.54
Rare Last name
Abell
Derived from the Hebrew name Abel, meaning "breath" or "son," or from a place name meaning "apple orchard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,820 Americans carry the last name Abell. That puts it at #4,990 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,830 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Abell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 43,830
Census rank
#4,990
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,819 bearers of the surname Abell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4990th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abell
Among Census respondents with the surname Abell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Abell 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 Abell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 6,190
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 223
- Two or more races3.1% · 213
- Black or African American1.7% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abell
Abell 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
#4,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,339
+479 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 80 places
2020
#4,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,819
-520 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,731 | 6,860 | 2.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,811 | 7,339 | 2.49 | +479 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 80 places |
| 2020 | #4,990 | 6,819 | 2.28 | -520 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 179 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 Abell 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 | #4,811 | #4,990 | -3.7% |
| Count | 7,339 | 6,819 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.49 | 2.28 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abell bearers went from 7,339 to 6,819 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,811 to #4,990.
FAQ
Abell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abell?
Name Census estimates that about 7,820 living Americans carry the surname Abell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,830 residents.
How common is Abell?
Abell ranks #4,990 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,819 people with the surname Abell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,820), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Abell.
Has Abell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abell went from 7,339 recorded bearers to 6,819. That is a decrease of 520 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,811 to #4,990.
What does the Census say about the background of Abell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Abell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (6,190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Abell (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 Abell mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name Abel, meaning "breath" or "son," or from a place name meaning "apple orchard." 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 Abell (2.28 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 share the surname Abell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.