Abayev or Abaev is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Akhsarbek Abaev (1923–1982), Ossetian Red Army Sergeant and Hero of the Soviet Union Dauren Abaev (born 1979), Kazakh politician and diplomat Eli Abaev (born 1998), American-Israeli basketball player for Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Genrikh Abaev (1932–2014), Belarusian professor Ilya Abayev (born 1981), Russian footballer Vasily Abaev (1900–2001), Ossetian Soviet linguist