# Abraham (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/abraham/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Latin |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 31,303 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,120 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 9,863 people |
| Change since 2000 | +22% (25,729 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪ.bɹəˌhæm/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English Abraham, from Old English Abraham, from Late Latin Ābrahām, from Ancient Greek Ἀβρᾱᾱ́μ (Abrāā́m), from Hebrew אַבְרָהָם ('aḇrāhām, “Abraham”). Thomas L. Thompson suggests that the meaning of the name in Genesis was forgotten due to its age and that its original meaning was "Father is exalted." Glossed as אַב (aḇ, “father of”) + הֲמוֹן (hăˈmōn, “multitude of”) in Genesis 17:4–5; or from Hebrew אַבְרָם ('aḇrām, “Abram”). Doublet of Ibrahim, Avraham, Abramo, and Abrahan.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Abraham in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 45% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 20% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 26% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Abraham in the United States, Argentina, Germany and Austria.

## People named Abraham

- F. Murray Abraham, American actor (born 1939)
- David Abraham, Argentine professional footballer
- Arthur Abraham, Armenian-German boxer
- Spencer Abraham, American attorney, author and politician (born 1952)
- Ralph Abraham, American physician and congressman
- Ralph Abraham, American mathematician (1936–2024)
- Marc Abraham, American Film producer
- Raimund Abraham, Architect (1933-2010)
- Lucas Abraham, association football player
- Josh Abraham, American record producer

## Similar surnames

Abrams, Abram, Abramson, Abrahamson, Abrahams, Abramowitz, Abramov, Abramo, Abramovich, Abrahamyan, Abernathy, Abernethy.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.