English: nickname from Middle English abbod, abbot(t), abbat ‘abbot’ (Old English abbod) or Old French abet ‘priest’. Both the Old English and the Old French term are derived from Late Latin abbas (genitive abbatis) ‘priest’, from Greek abbas, from Aramaic aba ‘father’. The nickname was presumably a joking reference to a person's behaviour. In the US, the English name is also sometimes a translation of a cognate or equivalent European name, e.g. Italian Abate , Spanish Abad , or German Abt .

History: George Abbot from Yorkshire, England, settled in Andover, MA, in 1640; he had numerous prominent descendants. George Abbott (probably not the same man) died in Rowley, MA, in 1647. Another early migrant was James Abbott, who came from Somerset, England, to Long Island, NY, in the 17th century.