2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Abolins
A Latvian habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "oak tree" or "oak forest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Abolins. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abolins 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.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Abolins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abolins, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abolins
The surname Abolins originates from Latvia, a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th century during the period of Livonian crusades and the establishment of the Teutonic Order in the region.
The name Abolins is derived from the Latvian personal name Abols, which means "apple" in English. This personal name was likely given to individuals who lived near apple orchards or were involved in the cultivation of apples.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Abolins can be found in the Latvian Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, a historical document dating back to the 13th century. This chronicle mentions a Livonian nobleman named Abolinus who participated in the Livonian Crusade against the pagan tribes of the region.
In the 16th century, the Abolins surname appeared in the records of the Livonian Confraternity of Blackheads, a influential guild of unmarried German merchants and craftsmen in the Hanseatic cities of Riga and Reval (now Tallinn, Estonia).
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Abolins family was prominent in the region of Vidzeme (also known as Livonia), which was part of the Swedish Empire at the time. Notable individuals with this surname include Jānis Abolins (1625-1693), a Lutheran pastor and author of religious texts, and Krišjānis Abolins (1745-1814), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and churches in the region.
In the 19th century, the Abolins name gained further recognition with the birth of Juris Abolins (1846-1912), a Latvian composer and conductor who is considered one of the pioneers of Latvian national music.
Another notable figure was Gustavs Abolins (1879-1967), a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia in the 1920s and played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations with various countries after Latvia gained independence in 1918.
Throughout its history, the Abolins surname has been associated with various professions, including clergymen, landowners, musicians, and politicians, reflecting the diverse contributions of individuals bearing this name to Latvian society and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abolins
Among Census respondents with the surname Abolins, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Abolins 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 Abolins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 96
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abolins
Abolins 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+13 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,504 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-23 bearers (-17.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 2,504 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.7%) | Down 21,029 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 Abolins 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 | #130,610 | #151,639 | -16.1% |
| Count | 130 | 107 | -17.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abolins bearers went from 130 to 107 (-17.7% change). The surname moved down 21,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #151,639.
FAQ
Abolins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abolins?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Abolins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Abolins?
Abolins ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Abolins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Abolins.
Has Abolins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abolins went from 130 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Abolins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abolins, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Abolins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abolins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (6.5%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Abolins (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 Abolins mean?
A Latvian habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "oak tree" or "oak forest." 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 Abolins (0.04 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 Abolins?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.