Abbott
A surname that usually began as a nickname or family form of Abbot, the church title, and sometimes as a short form of Abraham.
The #645 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,854 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Abbott is generally understood as an English surname from the medieval personal name or title abbot, meaning the head of an abbey or monastery. In many cases it was a nickname or occupational-style name for someone connected with an abbot, while some early evidence also points to it as a pet form of Abb, itself short for Abraham. The word behind abbot ultimately comes through Old French from Late Latin abbas, 'father' or 'abbot'.
History
The surname is recorded in medieval England, and early spellings include forms such as Abbot and Abbitt alongside Abbott. Nineteenth-century surname writers noted that some bearers may descend from a byname based on the church title, while others likely come from the Christian name Abraham. It became well established in England and later spread widely to North America and other English-speaking regions.
Origin
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Fun fact
Because 'abbot' was both a church title and a nickname source, Abbott is one of those surnames that can have more than one historical pathway within the same spelling.
From the historical record
“London, 1. Abbitt, Abbot, Abbott, Ab. botson, Abbett.--(i) Bapt. ' the son of Abraham,' from the nick. Abb. and dim. Abb^t. II is all btit certain that the majority of our Abbotts, althoug-h bearing a C.>1'”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances