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

Abrams, 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 Abrams surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abrams in America

Abrams is the 1387th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abrams surname appeared 25,534 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Abrams.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abrams 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 Abrams

The surname Abrams is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It derives from the medieval given name Abraham, which was originally a Hebrew name meaning "father of many". The surname likely began as a patronymic, referring to the son of Abraham.

In early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Abram, Abarams, and Abrahams. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex from 1195, which mention a William Abram. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include references to individuals with the name Abram.

The Abrams surname is linked to several places in England, including Abrams in Lancashire and Abrams Farm in Cambridgeshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Abrams throughout history include:

1. Murial Abrams (c. 1512-1580), an English landowner and benefactor from Cambridgeshire.
2. Sir Thomas Abrams (1612-1685), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament.
3. John Abrams (1677-1744), an English architect and builder who designed several churches in London.
4. Sarah Abrams (1740-1820), a British Quaker minister and writer known for her religious works.
5. Leroy Abrams (1892-1956), an American jazz drummer and bandleader active in the early 20th century.

While the surname Abrams has roots in medieval England, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and has become a globally recognized name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abrams

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

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

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

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