2000
#14,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,852
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Abdalla
Derived from the Arabic name Abdullah, meaning "servant of Allah" or "servant of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,864 Americans carry the last name Abdalla. That puts it at #6,392 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,451 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abdalla surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Abdalla with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,451
Census rank
#6,392
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,114 bearers of the surname Abdalla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6392nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdalla, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.0%. The next largest groups are White (46.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abdalla
The surname Abdalla originated in the Middle East region during the early medieval period. It is an Arabic name derived from the words 'abd' meaning 'servant' and 'Allah' meaning 'God'. The name is transliterated from the Arabic script as 'Abd Allah' and was likely first used as a descriptive name for those devoted to serving God.
Some of the earliest records of the surname Abdalla can be found in ancient Arabic manuscripts and texts dating back to the 7th century AD. These manuscripts often chronicled the lives and achievements of notable individuals bearing this name during the early Islamic era.
One of the most famous historical figures with the surname Abdalla was Abdullah ibn Abbas (618-687 AD), a revered scholar and companion of the Prophet Muhammad. He was known for his expertise in interpreting the Quran and his teachings were widely respected throughout the Islamic world.
Another notable individual was Abdallah ibn al-Muqaffa (720-756 AD), a renowned writer and translator from Persia who played a significant role in the translation of ancient Persian literature into Arabic.
During the medieval period, the surname Abdalla spread across various regions of the Middle East and North Africa as Islamic culture and trade routes expanded. It can be found in historical records from areas such as Egypt, Syria, and Morocco, where variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged.
One of the earliest examples of the surname Abdalla in a place name can be found in the city of Abdalla, located in modern-day Sudan. This city was named after a local ruler or prominent figure with the surname Abdalla during the 16th century.
In the 19th century, Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Sanjari (1806-1851) was a prominent Islamic scholar and reformer from Morocco who advocated for religious and educational reforms in the region.
Throughout history, the surname Abdalla has been borne by various religious leaders, scholars, and influential figures within the Islamic world, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to the Arabic language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abdalla
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdalla, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.0%. The next largest groups are White (46.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Abdalla bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Abdalla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.0% · 2,403
- White46.0% · 2,353
- Two or more races4.1% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abdalla
Abdalla appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,202
+1,350 bearers (+72.9%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 4,645 places
2020
#6,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,114
+1,912 bearers (+59.7%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Up 3,676 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,713 | 1,852 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,068 | 3,202 | 1.09 | +1,350 bearers (+72.9%) | Up 4,645 places |
| 2020 | #6,392 | 5,114 | 1.71 | +1,912 bearers (+59.7%) | Up 3,676 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Abdalla surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,068 | #6,392 | 36.5% |
| Count | 3,202 | 5,114 | 59.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.71 | 57.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abdalla bearers went from 3,202 to 5,114 (+59.7% change). The surname moved up 3,676 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,068 to #6,392.
FAQ
Abdalla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abdalla?
Name Census estimates that about 5,864 living Americans carry the surname Abdalla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,451 residents.
How common is Abdalla?
Abdalla ranks #6,392 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,114 people with the surname Abdalla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,864), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Abdalla.
Has Abdalla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abdalla went from 3,202 recorded bearers to 5,114. That is an increase of 1,912 (+59.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,068 to #6,392.
What does the Census say about the background of Abdalla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdalla, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.0%. The next largest groups are White (46.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Abdalla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.0% (2,403 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abdalla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.0%), White (46.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Abdalla (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Abdalla mean?
Derived from the Arabic name Abdullah, meaning "servant of Allah" or "servant of God." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Abdalla (1.71 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Abdalla?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Abdalla, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.