2000
#13,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,091
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Uncommon Last name
Abdi
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "worshipper" or "servant," often in reference to a servant of God.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,370 Americans carry the last name Abdi. That puts it at #2,630 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,300 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abdi 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 Abdi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,300
Census rank
#2,630
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,403 bearers of the surname Abdi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2630th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abdi
The surname ABDI has its origins in Somalia and other parts of the Horn of Africa region. It is derived from the Arabic term "Abd" meaning "servant" or "slave," often used as a prefix to indicate someone who is a servant or follower of a particular religion or ideology.
The name ABDI likely emerged in the early Islamic period when Arabic names and customs were adopted by various ethnic groups in the region. It may have initially been used as a descriptive name or nickname for individuals who were devout followers of Islam or worked in religious services.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name ABDI can be found in the "Futuh Al-Habasha" (Conquest of Abyssinia), a historical chronicle written in the 16th century by the Arab historian Shuayb ibn Idris al-Awsi. This text documents the conflicts between the Muslim armies and the Christian Kingdom of Aksum (present-day Eritrea and Ethiopia).
In the 19th century, the name ABDI was commonly found among the Somali clans and sub-clans, particularly in the northern regions of Somalia and parts of Djibouti. Notable individuals with the surname ABDI from this period include Abdillahi Abdi, a Somali poet and scholar who lived in the late 19th century, and Abdi Wali, a Somali ruler and military leader who played a significant role in the resistance against Italian colonialism in the early 20th century.
Other historical figures with the surname ABDI include Abdi Abdulqadir Jama, a Somali politician and diplomat who served as the first permanent representative of Somalia to the United Nations in the 1960s, and Abdi Bile, a Somali long-distance runner who won numerous international marathons in the 1980s and 1990s.
In recent times, the surname ABDI has become more widely dispersed due to migration and diaspora communities, particularly in countries with significant Somali populations such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abdi
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Abdi 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 Abdi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.3% · 12,507
- White3.7% · 495
- Two or more races1.5% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abdi
Abdi 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
#4,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,484
+5,393 bearers (+257.9%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Up 8,626 places
2020
#2,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,403
+5,919 bearers (+79.1%)
Per 100,000 4.48
Rank movement Up 2,108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,364 | 2,091 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,738 | 7,484 | 2.54 | +5,393 bearers (+257.9%) | Up 8,626 places |
| 2020 | #2,630 | 13,403 | 4.48 | +5,919 bearers (+79.1%) | Up 2,108 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 Abdi 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 | #4,738 | #2,630 | 44.5% |
| Count | 7,484 | 13,403 | 79.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.54 | 4.48 | 76.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abdi bearers went from 7,484 to 13,403 (+79.1% change). The surname moved up 2,108 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,738 to #2,630.
FAQ
Abdi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abdi?
Name Census estimates that about 15,370 living Americans carry the surname Abdi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,300 residents.
How common is Abdi?
Abdi ranks #2,630 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,403 people with the surname Abdi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,370), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Abdi.
Has Abdi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abdi went from 7,484 recorded bearers to 13,403. That is an increase of 5,919 (+79.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,738 to #2,630.
What does the Census say about the background of Abdi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Abdi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (12,507 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abdi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (93.3%), White (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Abdi (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 Abdi mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "worshipper" or "servant," often in reference to a 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 Abdi (4.48 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 share the surname Abdi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.