2000
#12,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Able
Derived from a Middle English nickname for someone who was exceptionally capable, reliable, or strong.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,596 Americans carry the last name Able. That puts it at #12,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,032 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Able 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 Able with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,032
Census rank
#12,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,264 bearers of the surname Able in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Able, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Able
The surname Able has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century as a descriptive name for someone who was strong, vigorous, or capable. It derives from the Old English word "æbil," meaning "ability" or "power."
In its earliest recorded form, the name was spelled "Abelle" or "Abil." Over time, it evolved into various spellings, including "Abell," "Abler," and the modern "Able." The name was particularly common in counties like Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Able can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a William Abell from Norfolk. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also mentioned a John Abil.
The name Able has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was John Abell, a 15th-century English theologian and writer who was born around 1430 and served as the chaplain to King Edward IV.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Thomas Abell, an English Catholic martyr who was executed in 1540 for denying the supremacy of King Henry VIII over the Church of England.
In the 17th century, John Able was an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the motion of planets.
Sir Frederic Able, born in 1835, was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions and published accounts of his voyages.
John Able, born in 1872, was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and represented England in several Test matches against Australia and South Africa.
The name Able has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations in England, such as Abell's Court in Gloucestershire and Able Thorn in Yorkshire, which likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Able
Among Census respondents with the surname Able, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Able 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 Able surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 1,504
- Black or African American22.7% · 515
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 99
- Two or more races4.2% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Able
Able 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
#12,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,417
+55 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 659 places
2020
#12,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,264
-153 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,107 | 2,362 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,766 | 2,417 | 0.82 | +55 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 659 places |
| 2020 | #12,967 | 2,264 | 0.76 | -153 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 201 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 Able 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 | #12,766 | #12,967 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,417 | 2,264 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.76 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Able bearers went from 2,417 to 2,264 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,766 to #12,967.
FAQ
Able surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Able?
Name Census estimates that about 2,596 living Americans carry the surname Able. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,032 residents.
How common is Able?
Able ranks #12,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,264 people with the surname Able. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Able.
Has Able become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Able went from 2,417 recorded bearers to 2,264. That is a decrease of 153 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,766 to #12,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Able?
Among Census respondents with the surname Able, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Able in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (1,504 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Able appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (22.7%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Able (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 Able mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for someone who was exceptionally capable, reliable, or strong. 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 Able (0.76 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 Americans have the surname Able?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.