Explore the Family Name Abrahams

The meaning of Abrahams

English, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): patronymic from the personal name Abraham.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Abrahams has slightly decreased in rank from 2000 to 2010, moving from 11,770 to 11,856, marking a -0.73% change. Despite the drop in rank, the count of individuals with this surname actually saw an increase of 8.37%, growing from 2,437 in 2000 to 2,641 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people remained steady at 0.9 both years.

20002010Change
Rank#11,770#11,856-0.73%
Count2,4372,6418.37%
Proportion per 100k0.90.90%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Abrahams

In terms of ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some shifts between 2000 and 2010. People identifying as two or more races dropped by 26.22%, from 3.28% to 2.42%. The percentage of white individuals with the Abrahams surname decreased slightly, from 72.55% to 68.46%. However, there were notable increases among those identifying as Hispanic, from 3.65% to 5.07%, and Black, from 19.45% to 22.57%. The census showed no representation from the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native groups for either year.

20002010Change
White72.55%68.46%-5.64%
Black19.45%22.57%16.04%
Hispanic3.65%5.07%38.9%
Two or More Races3.28%2.42%-26.22%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Abrahams 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 Abrahams is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 32.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (31.7%) and French & German (11.8%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish32.7%
British & Irish31.7%
French & German11.8%
Other23.8%
Abrahams

Possible origins of the surname Abrahams

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 Abrahams have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom68.00%
Merseyside, United Kingdom68.00%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom67.00%
West Midlands, United Kingdom67.00%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom66.00%

What Abrahams 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 Abrahams is E-M5021, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-M5021 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-Z645 and G-P287, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Haber, Kantor, Rothman, Lichtenstein, Jaffe, Hyman, Resnick, Wiener, Weinberg, Nathan.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Abrahams surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

abrahamsPaternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to early European farmers

If you have haplogroup E1b1b1, your paternal line stems from a branch of E-M215 called E-M5021. Men bearing this lineage migrated from the Balkans to southwestern Europe during the spread of agriculture by early farmers in the agricultural revolution, which began about 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. Early members of haplogroup E1b1b1, some of the world's first farmers, had a competitive advantage over native men, who didn't have farming technology. As a result of this advantage, haplogroup E1b1b1 became widespread and populous during the agricultural revolution. The effects of this ancient advantage are still seen today, with haplogroup E1b1b1 being represented from Portugal and Spain to Palestine, southern Africa, and Russia.

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 Abrahams 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

Abrahams

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Abrahams" Surname 27.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Abrahams

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Abrahams" Surname 40.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Abrahams

Vitamin Use

Takes vitamins on a regular basis.

"Abrahams" Surname 47.6%

23andMe Users 45.5%

Wellness

Abrahams

Migraine

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

"Abrahams" Surname 15.7%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Abrahams?

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 Abrahams 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

Ashkenazi Jewish 57.0%

23andMe Users 57.2%