This surname ABBDIE was of the locational group of surnames meaning 'the dweller in or near the house of the abbot' probably a worker at some large religious house or dwelling. Many royal or noble households and religious dwellings or monasteries, during the middle ages, gave rise to family names which reflected the occupation of the original bearer of the name. The earliest of the name on record was Rober del Abdy, who was documented in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Richard Abdey was documented in County Yorkshire in the year 1400.

Originally the coat of arms identified the wearer, either in battle or in tournaments. Completely covered in body and facial armour the knight could be spotted and known by the insignia painted on his shield, and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped garment which enveloped him. Between the 11th and 15th centuries it became customary for surnames to be assumed in Europe, but were not commonplace in England or Scotland before the Norman Conquest of 1066. They are to be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. Those of gentler blood assumed surnames at this time, but it was not until the reign of Edward 11. ( 1307-1327 ) that second names became general practice for all people.

The bulk of European surnames in countries such as England and France were formed in the 13th and 14th centuries. The process started earlier and continued in some places into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the 11th century people did not have surnames, whereas by the 15th century they did.