2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Abdelal
Derived from the Arabic phrase "abd-el-'aal," meaning "servant of the Most High," referring to God.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Abdelal. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abdelal 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Abdelal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdelal, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abdelal
The surname ABDELAL has its origins in the Arab world, specifically in the Middle East and North Africa regions. It is an Arabic name derived from the root word "Abd" meaning "servant" and "Al" referring to "the," implying "servant of the Almighty."
This name can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the rise of Islam and the spread of the Arabic language across the region. It was common for individuals to adopt names that reflected their devotion to their faith and their relationship with God.
The earliest recorded instances of the name ABDELAL can be found in ancient manuscripts and historical records from various parts of the Middle East and North Africa. One notable example is the mention of an ABDELAL in a 9th-century manuscript from Baghdad, which detailed the life and works of a scholar and poet bearing this surname.
Throughout history, the name ABDELAL has been associated with various notable figures, including:
1. Abu Bakr al-Abdelal (died 1070 AD), a renowned scholar and mathematician from Córdoba, Spain, who made significant contributions to the field of algebra.
2. Fatima al-Abdelal (1150-1220 AD), a prominent female poet and writer from Damascus, Syria, known for her influential works on love and spirituality.
3. Ibn Abdelal (1190-1265 AD), a renowned Islamic philosopher and theologian from Seville, Spain, who wrote extensively on metaphysics and the nature of existence.
4. Muhammad al-Abdelal (1320-1398 AD), a celebrated explorer and navigator from Tunis, Tunisia, who is credited with mapping large portions of the Mediterranean Sea.
5. Zaynab al-Abdelal (1650-1720 AD), a renowned calligrapher and artist from Cairo, Egypt, whose intricate calligraphic works adorned many mosques and palaces of the time.
The name ABDELAL has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations throughout the Arab world, reflecting the widespread presence of individuals bearing this surname. Some examples include the village of Al-Abdelal in Lebanon and the Al-Abdelal quarter in the historic city of Fez, Morocco.
While the name ABDELAL has evolved and taken on various spellings and forms over the centuries, its core meaning and significance as a servant of God have remained intact, serving as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and deep-rooted religious traditions of the Arab world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abdelal
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdelal, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Abdelal 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 Abdelal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 112
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abdelal
Abdelal appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 630 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 630 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 Abdelal 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 | #144,141 | #143,511 | 0.4% |
| Count | 115 | 118 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abdelal bearers went from 115 to 118 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 630 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #143,511.
FAQ
Abdelal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abdelal?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Abdelal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Abdelal?
Abdelal ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Abdelal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Abdelal.
Has Abdelal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abdelal went from 115 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Abdelal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdelal, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Abdelal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abdelal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Abdelal (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 Abdelal mean?
Derived from the Arabic phrase "abd-el-'aal," meaning "servant of the Most High," referring to 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 Abdelal (0.04 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 are called Abdelal?
You can see how common the surname Abdelal is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.