The Abernathy surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,450 people carried this name — #2,216 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 17,900 people counted. That is up 2% from 16,194 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Abernathy surname

Alternative form of Abernethy.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

38 families named Abernathy, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 233 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 9 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 24
South Carolina 5
Connecticut 3
Virginia 3
Vermont 1
Massachusetts 1
Pennsylvania 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 227 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Abernathy in American newspapers,
1906–1925.

Newspaper page from New-York Tribune carrying the name Abernathy
New-York Tribune 1906-10-21
Newspaper page from The Monte Vista Journal carrying the name Abernathy
The Monte Vista Journal 1914-04-25
Newspaper page from Belt Valley Times carrying the name Abernathy
Belt Valley Times 1925-01-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 49,144 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Abernathy in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

293 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Abernathy. The most, 46, date from the 1960s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 116
New South Wales 75
Queensland 45
ACT (Canberra) 28
Western Australia 10
South Australia 9
Tasmania 4

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

Who carried it

People named Abernathy,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James R. Abernathy
    James R. Abernathy 1795–1886 · attorney at law
  • Jack Abernathy
    Jack Abernathy 1876–1941 · police officer
  • Ralph Abernathy
    Ralph Abernathy 1926–1990 · politician
  • Ted Abernathy
    Ted Abernathy 1933–2004 · baseball player
  • Ralph David Abernathy III
    Ralph David Abernathy III 1959–2016 · politician
  • David Blackstone Abernathy 1767–1850 · commissioner

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 60 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Abernathy,
in the records of 3 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 States998 records

998 records of the Abernathy name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 630
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 253
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 56
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 15
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 14
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 8
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 6
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  • Ramsey County (Minnesota) Memorial Hall, war dead 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Daniel Owen Abernathy

    Born 1946; from Burlington, New Jersey. U.S. Army, tank unit commander; killed in action 1968 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    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 Charles A. Abernathy

    Born 1923 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Benning, Georgia; construction worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Tuscumbia, Alabama.

    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 Sarah Abernathy

    Arrived at New York in 1883 aboard the City of Chicago from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 29; servant. From Ireland; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 998 records for Abernathy in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · 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) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). 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).

Australia14 records

14 records of the Abernathy name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 11
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 2
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Abernathy

    Arrived in Queensland in 1874 aboard the Zoroaster, aged 21.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Lorne Campbell Abernathy

    Retired of Black Rock, Victoria; died 1969.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Abernathy

    Sailed from Victoria in 1885 aboard the Chimborazo II, bound for Sydney, aged 21.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Abernathy in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada6 records

6 records of the Abernathy name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Abernathy

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Sarmatian, bound for Paisley, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Harry I. Abernathy

    Died 1890 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elizabeth Thomson Abernathy

    Died 1969; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

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

Showing 3 of 6 records for Abernathy in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Abernathy.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Abernathy is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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