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

Abey, 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 Abey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abey in America

Abey is the 78567th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abey surname appeared 243 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Abey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abey 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 Abey

The surname Abey is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Abba," which means "father" or "patriarch." The name Abey is believed to have originated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Abey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Abbe." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of landholdings across England and served as a valuable record of names and places at the time.

During the 13th century, the name Abey was sometimes spelled as "Aby" or "Abye." This variation is evident in the records of the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which documented landowners and their holdings. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Abey Farm in Norfolk, which was mentioned in the 16th century.

One notable figure bearing the surname Abey was Sir Thomas Abey (1497-1560), a prominent English jurist and politician who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of Queen Mary I. Another was Robert Abey (1608-1684), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious texts.

In the 17th century, the name Abey was sometimes spelled as "Abey" or "Abbye." A notable bearer of this spelling was Sir Edward Abey (1619-1696), an English lawyer and member of Parliament who represented the borough of Hindon in Wiltshire.

During the 18th century, the name Abey was also associated with the arts. John Abey (1726-1795) was an English painter known for his portraits and landscapes. Another individual with this surname was Samuel Abey (1751-1810), an English engraver and printmaker who produced numerous illustrations for books and magazines.

Throughout the 19th century, the surname Abey continued to be found across various regions of England. One notable figure was William Abey (1819-1892), a British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abey

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

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

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

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