Explore the Family Name Abella

The meaning of Abella

1. Catalan, Galician, and Spanish: habitational name from any of several places called Abella, in Catalonia, Galicia, and Cantabria (Spain), notably Abella de la Conca in Catalonia. 2. Catalan and Galician: from abella ‘bee’, hence a nickname for a small, active person or perhaps an occupational name for a beekeeper. 3. Galician (Abellá): habitational name from the placename Abellá in A Coruña province, Galicia (Spain). 4. Catalan (Abellà): variant of Avellà (see Avella). 5. Italian (mainly Sicily): variant of Avella or possibly from a rare feminine form of the Biblical name Abele (see Abel). The surname may also be of Spanish or Catalan origin (see above). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Jorge, Juan, Luis, Armando, Eduardo, Francisco, Julio, Orlando, Rolando, Adolfo.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Abella has seen an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 15,154th in terms of prevalence but rose to be the 13,874th most popular surname by 2010—a growth of approximately 8.45%. The count of individuals with the surname Abella also saw a substantial rise from 1,785 in 2000 to 2,177 in 2010, marking an increase of nearly 22%. The proportion of people named Abella per 100,000 also saw an increase of 12.12%.

20002010Change
Rank#15,154#13,8748.45%
Count1,7852,17721.96%
Proportion per 100k0.660.7412.12%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Abella

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Abella has also shifted between the 2000 and 2010 Decennial U.S. Census data. There was a marked increase of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, with the percentage rising from 44.76% to 50.85%, indicating a growth of 13.61%. On the other hand, the percentage of those identifying as White saw a significant decrease from 16.47% to 11.90%, a decline of 27.75%. The proportions of people associating themselves with two or more races, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities also decreased during this period. However, there was a notable increase in the Black population associated with the surname Abella, which went up from 0.56% in 2000 to 1.33% in 2010.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander44.76%50.85%13.61%
Hispanic31.04%30%-3.35%
White16.47%11.9%-27.75%
Two or More Races6.05%5.28%-12.73%
Black0.56%1.33%137.5%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.12%0.64%-42.86%

Abella 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 Abella is Filipino & Austronesian, which comprises 33.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Spanish & Portuguese (26.5%) and British & Irish (12.8%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Indigenous American, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Filipino & Austronesian33.0%
Spanish & Portuguese26.5%
British & Irish12.8%
Other27.7%
Abella

Possible origins of the surname Abella

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 Abella have recent ancestry locations in the Philippines and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Ilocos Region, Philippines46.30%
Bicol, Philippines46.30%
Western Visayas, Philippines46.30%
Metro Manila, Philippines46.30%
Central Visayas, Philippines46.30%

What Abella 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 Abella is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Abella surname are: M, B4, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

abellaPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the ancient people of the Indian subcontinent

While Haplogroup M is widespread throughout South and East Asia, it is more diverse on the Indian sub-continent than anywhere else in the world. The high degree of diversity of M in India is likely tied to its ancient arrival here nearly 50,000 years ago. In addition to M2, which is found throughout the subcontinent, there are dozens of haplogroups branching off of M that exist in India. These branches are often connected to specific regions, tribes, or ethnic groups. For example, haplogroup M18 is found among the Oraon peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh, while haplogroup M41 is common among the Pardhan speakers of eastern India, and haplogroup M31a can be found on the Andaman Islands, just off the southeast coast of India.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Abella 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

Abella

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Abella" Surname 42.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Abella

Cheek Dimples

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

"Abella" Surname 45.0%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Habits

Abella

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Abella" Surname 17.9%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Abella

Migraine

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

"Abella" Surname 20.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Abella?

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 Abella 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

Filipino & Austronesian 14.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%