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Abel History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Abel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Abel

What does the name Abel mean?

The surname Abel is a patronymic name, derived from the Old German personal name Abel, which means "noble one." Interestingly, it does not appear to be derived from the biblical name Abel. The surname is associated with Swabia, in the southwest of Germany.

Early Origins of the Abel family

The surname Abel was first found in Wuerttembeg, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that south-western region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation.

Early History of the Abel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abel research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1495, 1547, 1628, 1634, 1682, 1684, 1685, 1696, 1725, 1761, 1781, 1782, 1787, 1802 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Abel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Abel, Abele, Aubeller, Abell, Abelle, Abeles, Abeler and many more.

Early Notables of the Abel family

Notables with the surname Abel during this period were

Christoph Ignaz Abele, von und zu Lilienberg (1628-1685), an Austrian jurist; Christian Ferdinand Abel (1682-1761), one of the most famous German Baroque violinists, cellists and especially viol virtu...

Abel Ranking

In the United States, the name Abel is the 1,774^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Abel is ranked the 3,097^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2

Abel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Abel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Abel, who landed in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1630 3
Stoffel Jansen Abel, who arrived in Long Island in 1664 3
Elizabeth Humphrey Abel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1694 3

Abel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Maria Abel, who arrived in New York in 1709 3
Johann Adam Abel, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1732 3
Johann Jacob Abel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 3
Joseph Abel, who landed in Virginia in 1736 3
Christoph Abel, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Abel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Archibald Abel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1813
Christopher Abel, age 36, who arrived in America in 1820
Johann Abel, aged 20, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1843 3
Casper Abel, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1844 3
Johan Abel, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1848 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Abel migration to Australia +

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

Abel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mrs. Mary Abel, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Thomas Abel, (b. 1805), aged 28, English ploughman who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. George Abel, (Reid, James, Clark), Scottish convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Joseph Abel, English convict who was convicted in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 9th Mary 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 7

Abel 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:

Abel Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Abel, (b. 1837), aged 25, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 8
Mrs. Jessie Abel, (b. 1839), aged 23, British housemaid travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 8
Mr. William Abel, (b. 1846), aged 25, Scottish farm labourer from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th August 1871 8
Miss Jessie Abel, (b. 1848), aged 23, Scottish housemaid from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 25th August 1871 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Abel (post 1700) +

Iorwith Wilbur Abel (1908-1987), American labor leader, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Gregory Edward "Greg" Abel (b. 1962), Canadian businessman from Edmonton, Alberta, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Vice-Chairman of non-insurance operations of Berkshire Hathaway
Alan Abel (1928-2020), American percussionist, music educator, and inventor of musical instruments from Hobart, Indiana
John Jacob Abel (1857-1938), American biochemist and pharmacologist, he suggested the idea of the artificial kidney and later he isolated amino acids from the blood in 1914
Walter Charles Abel (b. 1898), American actor and president of the American National Theater Academy
Clamor Heinrich Abel (1634-1696), German composer, violinist and organist
Christian Ferdinand Abel (1682-1761), German Baroque violinist and cellist, son of Clamor H. Abel
Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787), German composer, son of Christian F. Abel
Karl Frierdrich Abel (1725-1787), German musician
Edward William Abel CBE (1931-2021), British chemist, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry (1996-1998)
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"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/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html