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

Able, 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 Able surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Able in America

Able is the 12766th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Able surname appeared 2,417 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Able.

We can also compare 2010 data for Able 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Able

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

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

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

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