2000
#38,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Abello
Spanish and Catalan surname derived from the Latin name Abellius, which is of uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 884 Americans carry the last name Abello. That puts it at #32,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 387,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abello 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
884
1 in 387,731
Census rank
#32,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
771
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 771 bearers of the surname Abello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.2%) and White (13.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abello
The surname Abello is believed to have originated in Spain, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "abellana," meaning "hazelnut," which suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with hazelnut trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Abello surname can be found in the Becerro General, a census-like document compiled in the late 13th century during the reign of King Alfonso X of Castile. This document lists several individuals with the surname Abello residing in various regions of Spain, including Asturias, Galicia, and Castile.
During the Middle Ages, the Abello surname was particularly concentrated in the northern regions of Spain, such as Asturias and Galicia. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, possibly in reference to specific places or localities where hazelnut trees were abundant.
One notable individual bearing the Abello surname was Pedro Abello, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his conquest of Mexico in the 16th century. Abello played a significant role in several battles against the Aztecs and is mentioned in historical accounts of the time.
In the 17th century, the Abello surname appears in records related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Juan Abello, born in 1632 in Seville, Spain, was among the early Spanish settlers in what is now Mexico. He is documented as having established a successful hacienda in the region of Veracruz.
Another notable figure with the Abello surname was María Abello, a Spanish writer and poet who lived in the late 18th century. Born in 1762 in Barcelona, she gained recognition for her literary works, which often explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
As the Abello surname spread throughout Spain and its colonies, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Abellón, Abelló, and Avello. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic conventions of different areas.
While the Abello surname is predominantly associated with Spain and its former colonies, it has also been documented in other parts of Europe, such as Italy and France, likely as a result of migration and cultural exchange during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abello
Among Census respondents with the surname Abello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.2%) and White (13.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Abello 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 Abello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino48.9% · 377
- Asian and Pacific Islander30.2% · 233
- White13.7% · 106
- Two or more races6.5% · 50
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abello
Abello 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
#33,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 692
+155 bearers (+28.9%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 5,619 places
2020
#32,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 771
+79 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 1,027 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,706 | 537 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,087 | 692 | 0.23 | +155 bearers (+28.9%) | Up 5,619 places |
| 2020 | #32,060 | 771 | 0.26 | +79 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 1,027 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 Abello 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 | #33,087 | #32,060 | 3.1% |
| Count | 692 | 771 | 11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.26 | 12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abello bearers went from 692 to 771 (+11.4% change). The surname moved up 1,027 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,087 to #32,060.
FAQ
Abello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abello?
Name Census estimates that about 884 living Americans carry the surname Abello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 387,731 residents.
How common is Abello?
Abello ranks #32,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 771 people with the surname Abello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (884), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Abello.
Has Abello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abello went from 692 recorded bearers to 771. That is an increase of 79 (+11.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #33,087 to #32,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Abello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.2%) and White (13.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Abello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.9% (377 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (48.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (30.2%), White (13.7%). 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 Abello (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 Abello mean?
Spanish and Catalan surname derived from the Latin name Abellius, which is of uncertain meaning. 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 Abello (0.26 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 have the last name Abello?
See how many people have the surname Abello on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.