The Abbott surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 52,739 people carried this name — #645 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,590 people counted. That is up 2% from 51,620 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Abbott surname

A surname originating as an occupation.

An occupational surname for someone employed by an abbot. In the U.S., sometimes an anglicization of Italian Abate, Spanish Abad or German Abt.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Abbott» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Abraham’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Henry Abbod, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Abbitt, Abbot, Abbott, Abbotson and Abbett.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 37 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 11 births for the Abbott name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 5
Ulster 3
Connacht 2
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 94 people named Abbott live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 82
City of Buenos Aires 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

38 people named Abbott live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 14
Zurich 9
Geneva 7
Aargau 5
Lucerne 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 37 people named Abbott.

Most of them — 30 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Martinique.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 30
Martinique 6
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

42 people named Abbott is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 42

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Abbott was found among the farmers of 6 counties.

It was most frequent in Dorset: 20 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 500. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Dorset 20
Oxfordshire 14
Essex 12
Suffolk 11
Nottinghamshire 9
Devon 7

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Abbott was recorded 19 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1203rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 21. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Abbott in American newspapers,
1867–1912.

Newspaper page from The Evening Telegraph carrying the name Abbott
The Evening Telegraph 1867-03-26
Newspaper page from The Herald And News carrying the name Abbott
The Herald And News 1912-01-09
Newspaper page from The Mankato Free Press carrying the name Abbott
The Mankato Free Press 1905-04-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 19,174 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Abbott in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2010s.

227,523 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Abbott. The most, 38,139, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 96,915
Victoria 36,776
South Australia 26,469
Queensland 22,662
Western Australia 21,135
Tasmania 20,844
ACT (Canberra) 1,755
Northern Territory 713

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Abbott.

Who carried it

People named Abbott,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lemuel Francis Abbott
    Lemuel Francis Abbott 1758–1802 · painter
  • Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden
    Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden 1762–1832 · judge
  • John White Abbott
    John White Abbott 1763–1851 · surgeon
  • Jacob Abbott
    Jacob Abbott 1803–1879 · writer
  • John Stevens Cabot Abbott
    John Stevens Cabot Abbott 1805–1877 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 158 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Abbott,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States5,378 records

5,378 records of the Abbott name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,865
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,021
  • Other U.S. records 2,492
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Guy Francis Abbott

    Born 1939; from Manitou Springs, Colorado. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam. Buried at Wyuka Cemetery, Nebraska City, Nebraska.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edward P. Abbott

    Born 1921 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Syracuse; library assistant from Tompkins County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Hayts Cemetery, Ithaca, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate Abbott

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; servant. From Cork, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 5,378 records for Abbott in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3,271 records

3,271 records of the Abbott name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,579
  • Tasmanian Names Index 776
  • Other Australian records 916
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Abbott

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Tory, sailing from London in 1845. Native of Blackburn, Lancashire. Born 1827 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1847 in Bothwell, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Abbott

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Atlas, sailing from Plymouth in 1833. Native of Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1841. Married 1841 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Abbott

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Susan, sailing from Plymouth in 1842. Native of Spitalfields, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,271 records for Abbott in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada559 records

559 records of the Abbott name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 368
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 72
  • Other Canadian records 119
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Rossmore Abbott

    Lost in the sinking of the Titanic, 1912, aged 22; a third-class passenger. Body recovered.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Abbott

    Came to Ontario in 1876 aboard the Waldensian, bound for Niagara, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bethia Abbott

    Buried in 1981 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 69.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 559 records for Abbott in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom122 records

122 records of the Abbott name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 85
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 35
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Dinah Abbott

    Buried in 1821 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 26.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Horatio Stanley Abbott

    Will proved in 1941; of Newport, Monmouth.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. H. Abbott

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 122 records for Abbott in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand43 records

43 records of the Abbott name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 39
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Charles Abbott

    Died 1901, aged 52; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alfred Ronald Abbott

    Died 1995, aged 63; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record C. Abbott

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 43 records for Abbott in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France8 records

8 records of the Abbott name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Roch Louis Abbott

    Born 1924 in Fort-de-France (Martinique); died 2000 in Switzerland.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Eutochie Henriette Abbott

    Born 1906 in Le Robert; died 1991 in Le Robert (Martinique).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Abbott in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Abbott name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 6
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Rosina Wilhelmina Abbott

    Married in 1929 in 's-Gravenhage; shop assistant.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Alice Abbott

    In the population register of Forerton (Irl); nun, born 1899 in Forerton (Irl).

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Abbott in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Ireland1 record

1 record of the Abbott name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Abbott

    Died 1894, aged 80; buried at White Chapel, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Abbott name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Ludwig Abbott

    From Bonn. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 1 November 1917; then reported dead in the list of 5 December 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Abbott.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Abbott is.
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