How common is the surname Abe?

2,938 people in the United States had the surname Abe in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 105,087 Americans. It ranked 10,837th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Abe?

Sada Abe, 20th-century Japanese murderer, followed by Noriyuki Abe.

Where is the surname Abe most common?

Wikidata records people named Abe in Japan and the Empire of Japan.

Is the surname Abe getting more or less common?

Less common. 2,998 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,938 in 2010, down 2.0%.

Is Abe also a first name?

Yes. Abe is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Abe

A Japanese surname, carried by 2,938 people in the United States.

Pronounced /eɪb/ 1 syllable Soundex A100 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Abe is more common than 93.3% of them.

Origin

Japanese origin

A shortening from Abraham. In the slang sense for money, refers to the picture of Abraham Lincoln on the currency.

One of 123 Japanese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 2,938 people named Abe in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 105,087 Americans. That is down 2.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 2,998.

#10,837

rank among US surnames

2,938

people in 2010

1.0

per 100,000 Americans

-2%

change since 2000 (was #9,930)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#10,829	Nault	2,941	104,980
#10,834	Tullos	2,940	105,015
#10,835	Woolridge	2,939	105,051
#10,837	Menon	2,938	105,087
#10,844	Fedor	2,937	105,123

Who is named Abe

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

63% of people named Abe identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 19% as white (not Hispanic) and 8.7% as two or more races.

Asian and Pacific Islander 63%
White (not Hispanic) 19%
Two or more races 8.7%
Black (not Hispanic) 4.9%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.9%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Abes

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Sada Abe
20th-century Japanese murderer, born 1905
Noriyuki Abe
Anime director, born 1961
Tadashi Abe
Aikido master, 1926–1984

Notable Abes come mostly from Japan (2) and the Empire of Japan (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Abe

Abe has the Soundex code A100, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code A100.

Other Japanese surnames

All 123 Japanese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Abe come from?: A shortening from Abraham. In the slang sense for money, refers to the picture of Abraham Lincoln on the currency.
How common is the surname Abe?: 2,938 people in the United States had the surname Abe in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 105,087 Americans. It ranked 10,837th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Abe?: In the 2010 Census, 63% of people named Abe identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 19% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Abe?: Sada Abe, 20th-century Japanese murderer, followed by Noriyuki Abe.
Where is the surname Abe most common?: Wikidata records people named Abe in Japan and the Empire of Japan.
How do you pronounce Abe?: Abe is /eɪb/, one syllable.
Is the surname Abe getting more or less common?: Less common. 2,998 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,938 in 2010, down 2.0%.
Is Abe also a first name?: Yes. Abe is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.