patronymic surname
A patronymic surname is a surname originated from the given name of the father or a patrilineal ancestor. Different cultures have different ways of producing patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based o ...
, meaning "son of
Abram
Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...
(or Abraham)", the
Biblical
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...
figure. Surnames like "Abramson" became particularly important in Jewish communities due to the pressures of assimilation and identification. In
medieval Europe
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
, Jewish families were often required by authorities to adopt fixed surnames for taxation and census purposes. This was especially true in the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
during the 18th century under
Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...
, who mandated the adoption of Germanic surnames by Jewish citizens.
It is most prevalent among
American Jew
American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are Americans, American citizens who are Jews, Jewish, whether by Jewish culture, culture, ethnicity, or Judaism, religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of Am ...
s. When Jewish families emigrated to English-speaking countries, especially during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many adapted their surnames to conform to English spelling and pronunciation norms. "Abramson" became a natural
Anglicized
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
form, retaining its original meaning while adapting to English grammar.
People named "Abramson" include:
* Abraham Abramson (1752 or 1754–1811), Prussian coiner
* Adelina Veniaminovna Abramson (1917–2012), Argentine-born Russian translator
*
Alexis R. Abramson
Alexis Ryan Abramson is an American mechanical engineer, currently serving as the dean of the Columbia Climate School since January 2025.
She served as the 13th dean of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College from 2019 to 2024.
...
(
fl.
''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
2000s–2020s), American mechanical engineer and dean of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College
* Arthur S. Abramson (1925–2017), American linguist and speech scientist
* Arthur von Abramson (born 1854), Imperial Russian civil engineer
* David Abramson (fl. 1970s–2020s), Australian engineer
* Doris E. Abramson (died 2008), American professor, author, editor, and bookstore proprietor
* Edward Abramson (1920–2012), American politician who served in the New York State Assembly
* Frederick B. Abramson (1935–1991), African-American lawyer
* George Abramson (1903–1985), American football player
*
Harold Alexander Abramson
Harold Alexander Abramson (November 27, 1899 – September 29, 1980) was an American physician (Medicine, clinical Allergy, allergist), remembered as a proponent of therapeutic LSD. He played a significant role in the CIA's MKULTRA program to in ...
(1899–1980), American psychiatrist
* H. Norman Abramson (1926–2022), American engineer and scientist
* Henry Abramson (born 1963), dean of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences
*
Herb Abramson
Herbert Charles Abramson (November 16, 1916 – November 9, 1999) was an American record executive, record producer, and co-founder of Atlantic Records.
Life and career
Abramson was born in 1916 to a Jewish family in Brooklyn. He studied to be a ...
(1916–1999), American record company executive and producer
*
Ivan Abramson
Ivan Abramson (1869 – September 15, 1934) was a director of United States, American silent films in the 1910s and 1920s.Klein, Uru (10 December 2009)Cinema in the time of war, ''Haaretz''
Abramson emigrated to the United States from the Russia ...
(1869–1934), Russian-born American director of silent films active in the 1910s and 1920s
* Jadwiga Abramson (1887–1944), Polish-born French child psychologist
*
Jerry Abramson
Jerry Edwin Abramson (born September 12, 1946) is an American Democratic politician who was the 55th lieutenant governor of Kentucky. On November 6, 2014, Governor Steve Beshear announced that Abramson would step down from his position as lieu ...
(born 1946), American politician and mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, United States
*
Jill Abramson
Jill Ellen Abramson (born March 19, 1954) is an American author, journalist, and academic. She is best known as the former executive editor of ''The New York Times''; Abramson held that position from September 2011 to May 2014. She was the first ...
(born 1954), American journalist and managing editor of ''The New York Times''
* John Abramson (fl. 1970s–2020s), American physician and Harvard Medical School professor
*
Josh Abramson
Josh Abramson (born 1981) is an American entrepreneurJordan Crook“CollegeHumor Founder Josh Abramson, Boomi Founder Rick Nucci Join FirstMark Capital,”TechCrunch, September 17, 2013. and co-founder of the comedy website CollegeHumor.Pui-Wing ...
(born 1981), co-founder of ''CollegeHumor''
*
Larry Abramson
Larry Abramson (; born 1954) is a South African-born Israeli artist.
Biography
Larry Abramson was born in 1954 in South Africa. In 1961, his family aliyah, immigrated to Israel and lived in Jerusalem. He attended high school in the Hebrew Univ ...
(born 1954), South African-born Israeli artist
* Lee Abramson (born 1970), American musician and presidential candidate
*
Leon Abramson
Leon Abramson, known as Lee Abrams (January 6, 1925 – April 20, 1992) was an American jazz drummer. He died in 1992 at the age of 67.
Early life
Abrams was born in New York City and was raised in Brooklyn. His father played the violin and cla ...
(1925–1992), was an American jazz drummer
*
Leslie Abramson
Leslie Hope Abramson (born October 6, 1943) is a retired American criminal defense attorney best known for her role in the legal defense of Lyle and Erik Menendez. She is also a published author.
Early life and education
Abramson was born in Fl ...
(born c. 1944), American criminal defense attorney
*
Leonard Abramson
Leonard Abramson (born 1932) is a philanthropist and the founder and former CEO of U.S. Healthcare.
Early life and career
Born in Pennsylvania, and raised in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of Philadelphia.
(born 1932), American businessman and founder of U.S. Healthcare
*
Lyn Yvonne Abramson
Lyn Yvonne Abramson (born February 7, 1950) is a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She was born in Benson, Minnesota. She took her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1972 before atta ...
Max Abramson
Albert "Max" Abramson (born April 29, 1976) is an American politician who most recently served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Rockingham District 37 (Hampton Falls, Seabrook) from 2018 to 2022. He prev ...
(born 1976), New Hampshire politician
*
Nancy Abramson
Nancy Abramson was the first female president of the Cantors Assembly, an international professional organization of cantors associated with Conservative Judaism; she took up that office in 2013.
She served as cantor for fourteen years at Park Av ...
(fl. 2000s–2020s), first female president of the Cantors Assembly
* Neil Abramson (politician) (born 1967), American politician
*
Neil Abramson (filmmaker)
Neil Abramson (born 1963) is an American artist who works in film, music video and commercials. He is known for his feature films '' American Son'' (2008), ''Bob Smith, U.S.A.'' (2005), '' Ringmaster'' (1998), ''Soldier Child'' (1998) and ''Witho ...
(born 1963), American filmmaker
*
Norman Abramson
Norman Manuel Abramson (April 1, 1932biography from
Paul R. Abramson (political scientist)
Paul Robert Abramson (November 28, 1937 – February 12, 2018) was an American political scientist known for his research and writing on American, European, and Israeli elections. He was a professor of political science at Michigan State Universi ...
(1937–2018), American political scientist
* Paul Abramson (politician) (1889–1976), Estonian politician
* Phil Abramson (1933–1987), American set decorator
* Rick Abramson (fl. 1960s–2020s), CEO and executive vice president of Delaware North
* Rochelle Abramson (fl. 1970s–2000s), American violinist
* Ronney Abramson (fl. 1970s–1980s), Canadian singer-songwriter
* Seth Abramson (born 1976), American professor, attorney, and author
*
Todd Abramson
Todd Abramson is a former record label owner, booking agent and nightclub owner.
Background
Abramson was employed by Maxwell's, in Hoboken, New Jersey, 1986. By 1993, he was a partner in the running of the club. In 2017, Abramson was running h ...
(fl. 1980s–2020s), record label owner, booking agent and nightclub owner
* Traci Hunter Abramson (fl. 1980s–2020s), American mystery and suspense novelist