2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Abut
A surname of French origin, derived from a place name meaning "at the end" or "extremity."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Abut. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abut 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Abut in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abut, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.3%) and White (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abut
The surname ABUT is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages in the region of Normandy, France. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "abouter," meaning "to border" or "to adjoin." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a boundary or on the edge of a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ABUT surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Robertus Abut, who held property in the county of Surrey.
Another notable early bearer of the ABUT name was Sir William Abut, a knight who fought alongside King Richard I during the Third Crusade in the late 12th century. Sir William was commended for his bravery and leadership in the siege of Acre in 1191.
In the 14th century, a prominent family with the surname ABUT resided in the village of Abutville, located in the Norman region of France. This place name may have contributed to the development and spread of the surname in that area.
During the Renaissance period, a French scholar and philosopher named Pierre Abut (1515-1585) gained recognition for his work on natural philosophy and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of the time.
In the 17th century, an English playwright and poet named John Abut (1632-1697) wrote several notable works, including the satirical play "The Courtier's Mirror" and a collection of poems titled "Odes and Elegies."
As the name spread across Europe and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as Abbot, Abutt, and Abbutt. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences, but they all traced back to the same Norman origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abut
Among Census respondents with the surname Abut, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.3%) and White (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Abut 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 Abut surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander58.3% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino23.3% · 28
- White10.8% · 13
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abut
Abut 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+18 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,016 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 9,016 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,821 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 Abut 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 | #139,228 | #142,049 | -2.0% |
| Count | 120 | 120 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abut bearers went from 120 to 120 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,049.
FAQ
Abut surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abut?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Abut. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Abut?
Abut ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Abut. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Abut.
Has Abut become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abut went from 120 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Abut?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abut, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.3%) and White (10.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Abut in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.3% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abut appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (58.3%), Hispanic (23.3%), White (10.8%). 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 Abut (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 Abut mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from a place name meaning "at the end" or "extremity." 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 Abut (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 Abut?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.