Contents [hide]

Abraham History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Abraham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Abraham

What does the name Abraham mean?

The Picts were the ancient Scottish tribe where the ancestors of the Abraham family lived. The name Abraham comes from the name Abraham. The name means chief (or father) of a multitude and exalted father.

Early Origins of the Abraham family

The surname Abraham was first found in Balfeth, in Scotland, in 1163, where Adam Abraham, Bishop of Dunblain, held extensive lands. Further south in Lancashire, the township of Abram was home to another branch of the family. "This township was originally called Adburgham, and afterwards Abraham, and gave name to an ancient family of landowners, of whom Gilbert de Abram and John Abraham are mentioned in the reigns of Henry IV. and Henry V. There are some ancient seats, among which is Abram Hall, a moated brick mansion existing since the time of Henry VI." 1

Early History of the Abraham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abraham research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1672, 1689 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Abraham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abraham Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Abraham has been spelled Abraham, Abram, Abrams, Abrahams and others.

Early Notables of the Abraham family

More information is included under the topic Early Abraham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abraham World Ranking

In the United States, the name Abraham is the 1,557^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Abraham is ranked the 1,928^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,214 people with that name. 3 And in New Zealand, the name Abraham is the 975^th popular surname with an estimated 768 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Abraham family to Ireland

Some of the Abraham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abraham migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Abraham:

Abraham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Abraham, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 5
Geo Abraham, who landed in Virginia in 1637 5
William Abraham, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 aboard the ship "Tristram and Jane" 5
George Abraham, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 5
Corn Abraham, who arrived in Maryland in 1650 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Abraham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sarah Abraham, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1730 5
? Abraham, who landed in America in 1783 5

Abraham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Aron Abraham, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1800 5
Leopold Abraham, aged 28, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1804 5
Jacob Abraham, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 5
Levy Abraham, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1807 5
Alexander H Abraham, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1830 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Abraham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mike Abraham, who landed in Mississippi in 1901 5
Mike Abraham, who arrived in Mississippi in 1904 5
Mr. Thomas Herbert Abraham, (b. 1881), aged 23, Cornish miner traveling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 13th March 1904 en route to Marysville, Montana, USA 6
Antoni Abraham, who arrived in Mississippi in 1906 5
Tom Abraham, who arrived in Texas in 1912 5

Abraham migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Abraham Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Shovel Abraham, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Daniel Abraham, who settled in Canada in 1783
Mr. Christian Abraham U.E., United Empire Loyalist who settled in Ernest Town [Ernestown], Ontario c. 1783 7
Mr. Daniel Abraham U.E., United Empire Loyalist who settled in Marysburgh Township, Ontario c. 1783 7

Abraham Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

W Pimsond Abraham, aged 25, who landed in Quebec in 1868 aboard the ship "Leibig"
Heinrich Abraham, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875
Johann Abraham, who landed in Manitoba in 1875

Abraham migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Abraham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Abraham, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for life, transported aboard the "Caledonia" in 19th June 1822, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Miss Ellen Abraham, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl of Liverpool" in December 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Robert Abraham, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
John Abraham, aged 35, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "William Stuart" 11
Thomas Abraham, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Sir Thomas Gresham" 12

Abraham migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Abraham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles J. Abraham, aged 25, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Edwin I. Abraham, aged 30, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
C. Abraham, aged 2, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
C. Abraham, aged 6 mths., who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Mr. Abraham, Australian settler travelling from Newcastle, New South Wales aboard the ship "Eagle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 6th October 1842 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Abraham migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Abraham Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Ann Abraham, who settled in Barbados in 1683

Contemporary Notables of the name Abraham (post 1700) +

Clifton Eugene Abraham (b. 1971), American football defensive back in the National Football League
F Murray Abraham (b. 1939), Academy Award-winning American actor (Best Actor for his role in Amadeus)
Jack Abraham (1967-2023), British actor, known for roles in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Blonde Fist
Kurudamannil Abraham Abraham (1942-2021), Indian interventional cardiologist and a medical writer, Chief Cardiologist at the Southern Railway Headquarters Hospital, Chennai, and Chief Medical Director of the Southern Railways
Robert Abraham (1773-1850), London architect, the son of a builder, and educated as a surveyor 15
Brigadier-General Clyde Rush Abraham (1883-1955), Italian Assistant Commanding General 5th Division (1940-1942) 16
George Dixon Abraham (1871-1965), English climber and photographer
Max Abraham (1875-1922), German physicist
Walter Victor Abraham (1923-2006), Australian architect and town planner
William Abraham (1842-1922), Welsh trade unionist
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Abraham family +

Halifax Explosion

Miss Agnes Abraham (1909-1917), Canadian resident from Protestant Orphanage, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 17
Miss Ivy B. Abraham (1911-1917), Canadian resident from Protestant Orphanage, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 17

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. Thomas Abraham (b. 1841), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 18
Mr. George Abraham (b. 1862), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 18
Mr. Richard Abraham (b. 1864), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 18

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-of-liverpool
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
South Australian Register Friday 15 July 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) William Stuart 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamstuart1853.shtml
South Australian Register Monday 20th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Sir Thomas Gresham 1858. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/sirthomasgresham1858.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Clyde Abraham. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Abraham/Clyde_Rush/USA.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm