NameCensus.

UK surname

Abrahams

The patronymic surname of a descendant of Abraham, the first of the Old Testament patriarchs in the Bible.

In the 1881 census there were 2,249 people recorded with the Abrahams surname, ranking it #1,980 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,930, ranked #2,304, down from #1,980 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Botolph Aldgate, St George in the East and Christ Church Spitalfields. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Harrow, Uttlesford and Barnet.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Abrahams is 3,768 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.3%.

1881 census count

2,249

Ranked #1,980

Modern count

2,930

2016, ranked #2,304

Peak year

1901

3,768 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Abrahams had 2,249 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,980 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,930 in 2016, ranked #2,304.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,768 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Abrahams surname distribution map

The map shows where the Abrahams surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Abrahams surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Abrahams over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,083 #2,594
1861 historical 1,094 #2,569
1881 historical 2,249 #1,980
1891 historical 2,420 #1,940
1901 historical 3,768 #1,496
1911 historical 3,680 #1,418
1997 modern 2,992 #2,159
1998 modern 3,089 #2,173
1999 modern 3,141 #2,155
2000 modern 3,103 #2,169
2001 modern 3,016 #2,187
2002 modern 3,045 #2,214
2003 modern 2,986 #2,201
2004 modern 3,027 #2,166
2005 modern 2,964 #2,188
2006 modern 2,958 #2,189
2007 modern 2,971 #2,195
2008 modern 2,976 #2,208
2009 modern 3,034 #2,220
2010 modern 3,123 #2,208
2011 modern 3,063 #2,221
2012 modern 2,893 #2,312
2013 modern 2,976 #2,291
2014 modern 3,004 #2,285
2015 modern 2,950 #2,295
2016 modern 2,930 #2,304

Geography

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Where Abrahams' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Botolph Aldgate, St George in the East, Christ Church Spitalfields, St Mary Whitechapel and Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Harrow, Uttlesford, Barnet, Leeds and Cornwall. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St Botolph Aldgate London (Central Districts)
2 St George in the East London (East Districts)
3 Christ Church Spitalfields London (East Districts)
4 St Mary Whitechapel London (East Districts)
5 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Harrow 001 Harrow
2 Uttlesford 003 Uttlesford
3 Barnet 014 Barnet
4 Leeds 015 Leeds
5 Cornwall 050 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Abrahams

These lists show first names that appear often with the Abrahams surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Abrahams

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Abrahams, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Abrahams surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Abrahams household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Abrahams is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Abrahams is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Abrahams falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Abrahams is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Abrahams, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Abrahams

The surname Abrahams is derived from the personal name Abraham, which has Hebrew origins meaning "father of many". The name can be traced back to the biblical patriarch Abraham, a significant figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The Abrahams surname is predominantly found in England, where it likely originated as a patronymic name, indicating descent from someone named Abraham. It is believed to have been adopted by Jewish families in England during the Middle Ages, as well as by some Christian families who may have been influenced by the biblical name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Abrahams surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1202, where a certain Isaac Abrahams is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which lists a John Abrahams.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Abrahams surname appeared in various English records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire (1279), where a Robert Abrahams is mentioned, and the Feet of Fines for Essex (1310), which includes a William Abrahams.

Notable individuals with the Abrahams surname include:

1. Robert Abrahams (1437-1508), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1498.

2. Thomas Abrahams (1592-1670), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Balliol College, Oxford.

3. Nissim Abrahams (1822-1897), a British-Jewish scholar and author known for his works on Jewish history and literature.

4. Israel Abrahams (1858-1925), a British scholar and author who wrote extensively on Jewish history and literature.

5. Roger Abrahams (1933-2017), an American folklorist and author who specialized in African American folklore and cultural studies.

The Abrahams surname has also been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Abrahams-Taunte, a village in Germany, and Abrahams-Hoeve, a former farm in the Netherlands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Abrahams families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Abrahams surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 1,079 Abrahams' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.87x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,079 4.87x
Lancashire 201 0.76x
Surrey 154 1.43x
Hampshire 107 2.36x
Somerset 90 2.52x
Kent 67 0.89x
Bedfordshire 65 5.66x
Essex 52 1.19x
Northamptonshire 47 2.25x
Wiltshire 45 2.30x
Devon 40 0.87x
Yorkshire 40 0.18x
Gloucestershire 28 0.64x
Cheshire 25 0.51x
Warwickshire 24 0.43x
Lanarkshire 21 0.29x
Durham 19 0.29x
Monmouthshire 19 1.19x
Huntingdonshire 15 3.41x
Glamorgan 12 0.31x
Channel Islands 10 1.52x
Cornwall 10 0.40x
Royal Navy 10 3.79x
Staffordshire 10 0.13x
Hertfordshire 9 0.59x
Leicestershire 8 0.33x
Lincolnshire 8 0.23x
Shropshire 8 0.42x
Sussex 8 0.21x
Buckinghamshire 6 0.45x
Berkshire 5 0.30x
Cambridgeshire 5 0.36x
Dorset 4 0.28x
Northumberland 4 0.12x
Oxfordshire 4 0.29x
Suffolk 4 0.15x
Worcestershire 3 0.10x
Brecknockshire 1 0.23x
Cumberland 1 0.05x
Derbyshire 1 0.03x
Norfolk 1 0.03x
Renfrewshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Spitalfields London in Middlesex leads with 151 Abrahams' recorded in 1881 and an index of 90.58x.

Place Total Index
Spitalfields London 151 90.58x
Mile End Old Town London 143 30.32x
Whitechapel London 118 54.01x
St Botolph Aldgate London 69 151.18x
St George In East London 64 30.70x
Bethnal Green London 57 5.92x
Islington London 53 2.47x
St Pancras London 48 2.69x
Manchester 42 3.55x
Mile End New Town London 37 84.49x
Lambeth 30 1.55x
Cheetham 26 13.25x
Camberwell 24 1.70x
Liverpool 23 1.44x
Poplar London 23 5.50x
Portsea 23 2.58x
Clerkenwell London 20 3.82x
Hackney London 20 1.61x
Eling 19 41.30x
Salford 19 2.46x
Bedminster 18 5.37x
Chelsea London 18 2.70x
Luton 18 9.06x
Bromley London 17 3.49x
Devizes St Mary 17 85.82x
Kettering 17 20.16x
West Derby 16 2.08x
Hammersmith London 15 2.75x
St Luke London 15 4.22x
Ashcombe 14 933.33x
Kingston On Thames 14 5.40x
Old Artillery Ground 14 73.38x
Southwark St George Martyr 14 3.14x
St George Hanover Square 14 3.59x
St Marylebone London 14 1.18x
Hampstead London 13 3.77x
Hornsey 13 4.64x
Kensington London 13 1.06x
Limehouse London 13 5.34x
Bathwick 12 30.40x
Burham 12 114.94x
Gorbals 12 28.20x
Lyncombe Widcombe 12 12.85x
Southampton St Mary 12 4.20x
St James Dukes Place 12 253.70x
Stayley 12 21.46x
Bermondsey 11 1.67x
Frome 11 12.89x
Greenwich 11 3.12x
Plumstead 11 4.36x
Portsmouth 11 10.52x
Rotherhithe 11 4.02x
Sheffield 11 1.57x
Walcot 11 5.79x
Bishopwearmouth 10 1.77x
Bursledon 10 202.84x
Caddington 10 59.52x
Eaton Bray 10 86.36x
Leeds 10 0.81x
Nailsea 10 70.92x
Northampton Priory St 10 7.99x
Paddington London 10 1.23x
Royal Navy 10 4.43x
Shoreditch London 10 1.04x
St Martin In Fields 10 7.54x
St Peter Port 10 8.23x
Ashton In Makerfield 9 12.02x
Bedford St Paul 9 11.43x
Birmingham 9 0.48x
Everton 9 1.07x
Great Bolton 9 2.58x
Kempston 9 34.55x
Northampton All Sts 9 12.72x
St Giles In Fields London 9 8.28x
Wimbledon 9 7.42x
Bedwellty 8 2.83x
Fugglestone St Peter 8 103.09x
Great Grimsby 8 3.56x
Newington 8 0.98x
Sible Hedingham 8 54.72x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Abrahams surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Sarah 86
Mary 81
Elizabeth 57
Annie 35
Hannah 34
Alice 27
Jane 27
Ann 25
Julia 25
Emma 24
Eliza 23
Emily 23
Rachel 23
Maria 21
Rebecca 21
Ellen 20
Esther 20
Rose 20
Leah 19
Fanny 17
Kate 16
Matilda 16
Florence 14
Catherine 13
Harriet 13
Margaret 13
Clara 12
Edith 12
Louisa 12
Martha 12
Ada 11
Amelia 11
Charlotte 10
Caroline 9
Lizzie 9
Sophia 9
Maud 8
Betsy 7
Deborah 7
Eva 7
Isabella 7
Adelaide 6
Agnes 6
Jessie 6
Laura 6
Lydia 6
Nancy 6
Rachael 6
Susan 6
Bertha 5

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Abrahams surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 74
John 73
Henry 51
Joseph 47
George 43
Abraham 41
James 37
Alfred 33
Thomas 31
Isaac 30
Samuel 28
Charles 22
Lewis 17
Walter 17
Albert 16
Edward 16
Harry 16
Jacob 16
Robert 16
Frederick 15
Morris 15
Arthur 14
Louis 14
Benjamin 13
David 13
Mark 12
Herbert 11
Nathan 10
Richard 10
Harris 9
Michael 8
Barnett 7
Moses 7
Daniel 6
Ernest 6
Israel 6
Reuben 6
Alexander 5
Frank 5
Simon 5
Solomon 5
Wm. 5
Francis 4
Fredk. 4
Hyman 4
Joshua 4
Philip 4
Ralph 4
Woolf 4
Moss 3

FAQ

Abrahams surname: questions and answers

How common was the Abrahams surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,249 people were recorded with the Abrahams surname. That placed it at #1,980 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Abrahams surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,930 in 2016. That gives Abrahams a modern rank of #2,304.

What does the Abrahams surname mean?

The patronymic surname of a descendant of Abraham, the first of the Old Testament patriarchs in the Bible.

What does the Abrahams map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Abrahams bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.