Abernethy is a surname whose origins link to a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recognis ...

that descends from

Orm de Abernethy Orm (in Old Norse and in modern Danish, Swedish, Norwegian (bokmål and nynorsk) the word for "snake", "worm" or "dragon") became an Anglo-Saxon personal name during period of the Danelaw. Orm may also refer to: * Orm or Ormin, the author of ...

, a grandson of Gille Míchéil,

Earl of Fife The Earl of Fife or Mormaer of Fife was the ruler of the province of Fife in medieval Scotland, which encompassed the modern counties of Fife and Kinross. Due to their royal ancestry, the earls of Fife were the highest ranking nobles in the re ...

that presumably settled at

Abernethy, Perth and Kinross Abernethy ( gd, Obar Neithich) is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, situated south-east of Perth. Etymology Abernethy, recorded in the 10th century as ''Aburnethige'', means 'mouth of the river Nethy'. The first element of the name is ...

. The name is of non-Gaelic Pictish origin, from a period when the Caledonian Welsh or Brytons controlled these lands. 'Aber' is modern Welsh for 'estuary' or 'confluence of rivers'. Notable people who have this surname include: *

Alan Abernethy Alan Francis Abernethy (born 12 April 1957) is an Irish Anglican bishop, and former Bishop of Connor. Educated at Grosvenor High School, Belfast, Queen's University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin, and ordained in 1981, he began his minist ...

(born 1957), Irish bishop *

Alexander de Abernethy Alexander de Abernethy (after 1271 – c. 1315) was a Scottish baron. He was a son of Hugh de Abernethy and Maria de Ergadia. Alexander was a descendant of abbots of Abernethy; his great-grandfather Laurence, great-grandson of Gillemichael, Ea ...

(died ca. 1315), Scottish magnate * Alister Abernethy (1920–2003), New Zealand politician * Arthur Talmage Abernethy (1872–1956), journalist, theologian, poet; first North Carolina Poet Laureate *

Bob Abernethy Robert Gordon Abernethy (November 5, 1927 – May 2, 2021) was an American journalist, best known for serving various roles during a 42-year career with NBC News. He later co-created, and was executive editor and host of '' Religion & Ethics New ...

(1927–2021), American television journalist *

Bob Abernethy (footballer) Lorne Campbell 'Bob' Abernethy (4 March 1900 – 1 May 1969) was an Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played bet ...

(1900–1969), Australian rules footballer *

Bruce Abernethy Bruce Abernethy (born 10 May 1962) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club Collingwood Football Club and Adelaide Football Club in the Victorian/Australian Football League (VFL/ ...

(born 1962), Australian rules football player *

Bruce Abernethy (cricketer) Bruce Abernethy (born 28 May 1958) is a New Zealand former cricketer. He played 13 first-class and 10 List A matches for Otago between 1981/82 and 1982/83.

(born 1958), New Zealand former cricketer *

Charles Laban Abernethy Charles Laban Abernethy (March 18, 1872 – February 23, 1955) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1922 and 1935. Born in Rutherford College, North Carolina, Abernethy attended local public schools in Rutherford C ...

(1872–1955), American politician * Darrell Abernethy (1949–2017), American Associate Director for Drug Safety at the Food and Drug Administration *

George Abernethy George Abernethy (October 7, 1807 – March 2, 1877) was an American politician, pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government based in the Willamette Valley, an area later a part of the American sta ...

(1807–1877), American politician *

Georgina Abernethy Georgina Abernethy (née Shorland, c.1859–1906) was a New Zealand suffragist and leader of Wesleyan women. Early life Abernethy was born in Auckland to a carpenter, John Shorland, and his wife (name unknown). Her life centred around the church, ...

(1859–1906), New Zealand suffragist and leader of Wesleyan women *

Glen Abernethy Glen Abernethy (born 1971Legis ...

(born 1971), American politician *

Hugh Abernethy Hugh Abernethy (born 23 December 1967) is a Scottish former professional snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green clo ...

(born 1967), Scottish former professional snooker player *

Haymitch Abernathy The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these ...

, fictional character in the

Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 6 ...

series of books and novels *

James Abernethy James Abernethy FRSE (12 June 1814 – 8 March 1896) was a Scottish civil engineer. Biography Abernethy was born in Aberdeen to George Abernethy, an engineer, and Isabella Johnston. In 1823, the family moved to South Wales, where his father man ...

(1814–1896), British civil engineer * Jim Abernethy (1902–1974), Australian rules footballer * John Abernethy (judge) (born 1947), former State Coroner of New South Wales *

John Abernethy (minister) John Abernethy (19 October 1680 – 1 December 1740) was an Irish Presbyterian minister and church leader, the grandfather of the surgeon John Abernethy. Life He was born at Coleraine, County Londonderry, where his father John was a Pr ...

(1680–1740), Irish Presbyterian minister and church leader *

John Abernethy (surgeon) John Abernethy FRS (3 April 1764 – 20 April 1831) was an English surgeon. He is popularly remembered today for having given his name to the Abernethy biscuit, a coarse-meal baked good meant to aid digestion. Life He was a grandson of ...

FRS (1764–1831), English surgeon *

LeRoy Abernethy LeRoy Franklin Abernethy (September 27, 1885 – November 9, 1959) was an American college football player from North Carolina. He played for North Carolina A&M from 1902–04 before transferring to the University of North Carolina for 1905. ...

(1885–1959), American college football player *

Liam Abernethy William J. Abernethy (1929 – 21 October 1980) was an Irish hurler who played as a right corner-forward for the Cork senior team. Abernethy made his first appearance for the team during the 1951-52 National Hurling League and was a sometim ...

(1929–1980), Irish hurler *

Lord Abernethy The Lord of Abernethy was from the 12th century to the 14th century the hereditary holder of the church and lands of the Scottish monastery at Abernethy. It gradually evolved alongside the title Abbot of Abernethy, displacing that term in extant ...

, hereditary title in the Peerage of Scotland *

John Cameron, Lord Abernethy John Alastair Cameron, Lord Abernethy, PC (born 1 February 1938) is a Scottish lawyer, and a former Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the country's Supreme Courts, serving from 1992 to 2007, when he retired. He was a member of the ...

(born 1938), a Senator of the College of Justice of Scotland *

Meg of Abernethy {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Meg of Abernethy (1355–1405) was a Scottish musician. She was a harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are p ...

(1355–1405), Scottish musician * Milton A. Abernethy (died 1991), American journalist, magazine editor, business owner, and stockbroker *

Moira Abernethy Moira Abernethy-Ford (born 29 May 1939) is a South African former backstroke and freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international ...

(born 1939), South African swimmer *

Ralph Abernathy Ralph David Abernathy Sr. (March 11, 1926 – April 17, 1990) was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was ordained in the Baptist tradition in 1948. As a leader of the civil rights movement, he was a close friend and ...

(1926-1990), American civil rights activist and minister * Robert Abernethy (born 1971), Australian swimmer * Robert J. Abernethy (born 1940), American entrepreneur and philanthropist *

Rod Abernethy Rod Abernethy is a performing songwriter, guitarist, and composer. His music has been used as scores for EA, Midway, Vivendi, Universal, Sony, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Paramount, Disney, THQ, Activision, Konami, Majesco Entertainment, NC Soft, Namco ...

, American video game music composer *

Roy Abernethy Roy Abernethy (September 29, 1906, Pennsylvania – February 28, 1977, Jupiter, Florida) was an executive in the American automobile industry, serving as CEO of American Motors Corporation (AMC) from February 1962 to January 1967. Prior to his t ...

(1906–1977), American businessman *

Ruth Abernethy A statue by Abernethy Ruth Abernethy (born 1960) is a Canadian sculptor born in Lindsay, Ontario. Her work includes bronze figure portraits of Glenn Gould at CBC, Toronto, and Oscar Peterson at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa. She wrote ''Life ...

(born 1960), Canadian sculptor * Terence Abernethy (born 1930), South African cricketer * Thomas Abernethy (disambiguation), several people *

Tom Abernethy Thomas Craig Abernethy (born May 6, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers and won a national championship in 1976. Abernethy was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in ...

(born 1954), American professional basketball player *

Virginia Abernethy Virginia Deane Abernethy (born 1934) is an American anthropologist and activist. She is professor emerita of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She has published research on population demography and immigration. She ran for ...

(born 1934), American professor of psychiatry and anthropology Some notable people use Abernethy as their middle name: *

William Abernethy Drummond William Abernethy Drummond (called Abernethy; 1719?–1809), was a physician who later became Bishop of Edinburgh. Life Born william Abernethy in 1719 or 1720, he was descended from the family of Abernethy of Saltoun in East Lothian and from Wi ...

(1719–1809), bishop of Edinburgh * Ralph Abernethy Gamble (1885–1959), American politician *

William Abernethy Ogilvie William Abernethy Ogilvie, (March 3, 1901 – August 28, 1989) was a Canadian painter and war artist. Early life Ogilvie came to Canada in 1925 and after living in Toronto, went to New York from 1925–1930 to study at the Art Students Leagu ...

(1901–1989), Canadian painter and war artist

See also