Meaning:
Its source is abbod, an Old English name meaning "Priest."
Narrative:
In Roman Catholic practice, an abbot leads a religious community of monks living in a monastery. An edict forbidding Catholic clergy to marry dates from around the time people began to assume surnames, so it is unlikely this name was ever used to identify an abbot's descendants. It was very likely used to identify descendants of an abbot's employees, as monasteries were sometimes great establishments requiring the services of lay workers.
Also, it may have originated as a teasing nickname for a man with the grave and pious demeanor associated with an abbot, or, perversely, as a nickname for someone whose attitudes were just the opposite. Following the adage ''like father, like son,'' Abbot then became permanently attached to entire families before its modern use as a first name.
