Abbott \a-bbo-tt\ as a boy's name is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Abbott is "father, priest". An abbot is the head of a religious community of monks living in a monastery, so the original bearers of this name (as a surname) may have worked for an abbot. Also, the name may have originated as a teasing nickname for a man with the grave and pious attitude associated with an abbot. Use as a first name occurred mostly in the 19th century. In the 1940s and early 1950s Bud Abbott served as a straight man to short chubby comedian Lou Costello.
Abbott has 11 variant forms: Ab, Abad, Abba, Abbe, Abe, Abbey, Abbie, Abbot, Abby, Abot and Abott.