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

Abernathy, 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 Abernathy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abernathy in America

Abernathy is the 2216th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abernathy surname appeared 16,450 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Abernathy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abernathy 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 Abernathy

The surname Abernathy has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words 'Obair' meaning 'confluence' and 'Nethy' which was the name of a river, combining to form 'Obair Nethy' or 'Abernethy'. This name referred to the town of Abernethy in Perthshire, Scotland, situated at the confluence of the rivers Nethy and Tay.

The earliest recorded mention of the name Abernathy can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of official documents recording the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One such entry lists a 'Laurence de Abernathy' from Abernethy, indicating the name's association with the town.

In the 14th century, records show the name spelled in various ways, such as 'Abirnethy', 'Abyrnathy', and 'Abyrnethy', reflecting the evolution of spelling over time. The name also appeared in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were financial records maintained by the Scottish royal court, mentioning individuals like 'John de Abyrnathy' and 'William de Abyrnathy'.

One notable figure bearing the Abernathy surname was Sir William Abernathy, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence during the early 14th century. Another prominent individual was George Abernathy, a Scottish mathematician and astronomer born in 1619, who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

In the 17th century, the name spread to Ireland, where it was anglicized to 'Avernethy' and 'Avernathy'. A notable Irish bearer of the name was John Avernethy, a Presbyterian minister born in County Down in 1680, who played a role in the establishment of Presbyterianism in Ireland.

As the name traveled to other parts of the world, it underwent further spelling variations. In the United States, the Abernathy surname can be traced back to the 18th century, with individuals like James Abernathy, a Revolutionary War soldier born in Virginia in 1760, and John Abernathy, a prominent lawyer and judge born in Virginia in 1783.

Other notable individuals with the Abernathy surname include Ralph Abernathy, a prominent American civil rights leader and close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., born in 1926, and Jack Abernathy, an American businessman and real estate developer born in 1923, who co-founded the Abernathy Company in Dallas, Texas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abernathy

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

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

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

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