Explore the Family Name Abad

The meaning of Abad

Spanish: from abad ‘abbot, priest’ (from Late Latin abbas, genitive abbatis, from the Aramaic word meaning ‘father’). The application is uncertain: it could be a nickname or an occupational name for the servant of a priest, or denote an (illegitimate) son of a priest. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Luis, Miguel, Ramon, Ricardo, Ernesto, Jorge, Armando, Augusto, Carlos, Juan.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Abad in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Abad has grown in popularity over the decade from 2000 to 2010. The rank of this surname improved from 6523 in 2000 to 5401 in 2010, marking a 17.2% increase. Furthermore, the count or number of people with this surname also expanded by 34.43%, climbing from 4795 to 6446 individuals. This growth is further emphasized when considering the proportion per 100,000, which rose by 23.03%, indicating that the surname Abad became more common across America within this period.

20002010Change
Rank#6,523#5,40117.2%
Count4,7956,44634.43%
Proportion per 100k1.782.1923.03%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Abad

In terms of ethnicity, the data obtained from the Decennial U.S. Census reveal interesting shifts in the ethnic identities associated with the surname Abad. While the largest group remained those of Hispanic ethnicity, increasing from 46.28% in 2000 to 51.54% in 2010, other groups saw different trends. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased by 9.98%, and those identifying as White also diminished by 9.10%. Similarly, there were slight reductions in the percentage of people with two or more races and Black ethnic identity. Finally, the smallest group, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, experienced the largest decrease, falling by 24.00%.

20002010Change
Hispanic46.28%51.54%11.37%
Asian/Pacific Islander38.16%34.35%-9.98%
White10.22%9.29%-9.1%
Two or More Races3.65%3.51%-3.84%
Black1.44%1.13%-21.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.25%0.19%-24%

Abad ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Abad is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 30.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Filipino & Austronesian (22.7%) and Indigenous American (12.5%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, French & German, Chinese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Italian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Spanish & Portuguese30.2%
Filipino & Austronesian22.7%
Indigenous American12.5%
Other34.6%
Abad

Possible origins of the surname Abad

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Abad have recent ancestry locations in the Philippines and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Metro Manila, Philippines31.50%
Ilocos Region, Philippines31.50%
Central Visayas, Philippines31.50%
Central Luzon, Philippines31.50%
Calabarzon, Philippines31.50%

What Abad haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Abad is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-M180 and R-DF27, which are predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Pedro, Valerio, De La Cruz, Concepcion, De Jesus, Layne, Jose, Aquino, Pascual, Antonio.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Abad surname are: A2, M, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

abadPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Abad have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Abad

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Abad" Surname 52.2%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Abad

Cheek Dimples

Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.

"Abad" Surname 47.1%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Habits

Abad

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Abad" Surname 18.2%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Abad

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Abad" Surname 11.7%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Abad?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Abad are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Spanish & Portuguese 56.3%

23andMe Users 57.2%