2000
#11,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,612
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Abernethy
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "mouth of the Nethy" in Pictish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,940 Americans carry the last name Abernethy. That puts it at #11,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,583 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abernethy 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 Abernethy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,583
Census rank
#11,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,564 bearers of the surname Abernethy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abernethy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abernethy
The surname Abernethy originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the place name Abernethy, which is located in Perthshire, Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Gaelic words "abair" meaning "confluence" and "nethy" referring to the River Nethy, indicating that it was originally a locational name given to those residing near the confluence of the River Nethy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Abernethy surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which was a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appeared as "Abirnethy" in this document. The Abernethy name was also mentioned in various charters and records from the 13th and 14th centuries, demonstrating its prominence among Scottish families.
The town of Abernethy itself has historical significance, as it was once an important ecclesiastical center and the site of a Culdee monastery founded in the 6th century. This connection to an early Christian community may have contributed to the surname's prestige.
Notable individuals with the Abernethy surname throughout history include:
1. John Abernethy (1680-1740), a renowned Presbyterian minister and philosopher in Ireland.
2. William Abernethy (1804-1873), a Scottish-American minister and educator who founded the Abernethy Institute in North Carolina.
3. James Abernethy (1814-1896), a Scottish-born Australian pioneer and politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
4. Mary Anne Abernethy (1768-1845), a Scottish botanist and artist known for her illustrations of plant species.
5. Brice Abernethy (1873-1944), an American Baptist missionary and educator who worked in China for over 40 years.
The Abernethy surname has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For example, the town of Abernethy was historically spelled as "Abirnethy" or "Abernethyn" in older records. Additionally, there are places called Abernethy in both Louisiana and Mississippi, likely named after early Scottish settlers in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abernethy
Among Census respondents with the surname Abernethy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Abernethy 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 Abernethy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,315
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 94
- Two or more races2.9% · 74
- Black or African American2.1% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abernethy
Abernethy 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
#11,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,613
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 819 places
2020
#11,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,564
-49 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,141 | 2,612 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,960 | 2,613 | 0.89 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 819 places |
| 2020 | #11,692 | 2,564 | 0.86 | -49 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 268 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 Abernethy 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 | #11,960 | #11,692 | 2.2% |
| Count | 2,613 | 2,564 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.86 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abernethy bearers went from 2,613 to 2,564 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 268 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,960 to #11,692.
FAQ
Abernethy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abernethy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,940 living Americans carry the surname Abernethy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,583 residents.
How common is Abernethy?
Abernethy ranks #11,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,564 people with the surname Abernethy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Abernethy.
Has Abernethy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abernethy went from 2,613 recorded bearers to 2,564. That is a decrease of 49 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,960 to #11,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Abernethy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abernethy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Abernethy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,315 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abernethy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Abernethy (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 Abernethy mean?
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "mouth of the Nethy" in Pictish. 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 Abernethy (0.86 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 surname Abernethy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.