2000
#21,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Abdulla
Servant or worshipper of Allah (God), derived from the Arabic name Abdullah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,717 Americans carry the last name Abdulla. That puts it at #12,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abdulla 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 Abdulla with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,152
Census rank
#12,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,369 bearers of the surname Abdulla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abdulla
The surname Abdulla originated from the Arabic name Abdullah, which means "servant of Allah" or "servant of God." It is a common surname found predominantly among Muslims in the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of South Asia.
The earliest known usage of the name Abdulla can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The name gained prominence as Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula and beyond, and it became a popular name among Muslims to express their devotion to God.
The name Abdulla has been found in various historical records and manuscripts throughout the centuries. One notable example is the mention of Abdullah ibn Abbas, a companion of Prophet Muhammad and a renowned scholar of the Quran, who lived from 619 to 687 AD.
In the 10th century, the name was recorded in the writings of the famous Arab historian and traveler, Al-Masudi, who mentioned several individuals with the surname Abdulla in his chronicles.
During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled parts of the Middle East and North Africa from the 14th to the 20th century, the name Abdulla was widely used among the Muslim population. One notable figure was Abdulla Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and governor of Tripoli, Libya, who lived in the 18th century.
In the Indian subcontinent, the name Abdulla gained popularity among Muslim communities during the Mughal Empire, which ruled from the 16th to the 19th century. One prominent figure was Abdulla Khan Firuz Jang, a Mughal nobleman and military commander who lived in the 18th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Abdulla include:
1. Abdulla Al-Qasemi, a 19th-century Arab poet and writer from Palestine.
2. Abdulla Al-Badri, a 20th-century Iraqi politician and prime minister of Iraq from 1949 to 1950.
3. Abdulla Al-Salim Al-Sabah, a member of the Kuwaiti royal family and former crown prince of Kuwait, who lived from 1895 to 1965.
4. Abdulla Yusuf Ali, an Indian-born Islamic scholar and translator of the Quran, who lived from 1872 to 1953.
5. Abdulla Zahir, an Afghan writer and poet who lived in the 20th century.
The surname Abdulla has been found in various forms and spellings throughout history, such as Abdullah, Abdallah, and Abdoellah, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abdulla
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Abdulla 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 Abdulla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.6% · 1,482
- Black or African American13.5% · 319
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.7% · 276
- Two or more races8.4% · 198
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abdulla
Abdulla 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
#16,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,741
+596 bearers (+52.1%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 4,821 places
2020
#12,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,369
+628 bearers (+36.1%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 4,005 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,323 | 1,145 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,502 | 1,741 | 0.59 | +596 bearers (+52.1%) | Up 4,821 places |
| 2020 | #12,497 | 2,369 | 0.79 | +628 bearers (+36.1%) | Up 4,005 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 Abdulla 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 | #16,502 | #12,497 | 24.3% |
| Count | 1,741 | 2,369 | 36.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.79 | 34.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abdulla bearers went from 1,741 to 2,369 (+36.1% change). The surname moved up 4,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,502 to #12,497.
FAQ
Abdulla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abdulla?
Name Census estimates that about 2,717 living Americans carry the surname Abdulla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,152 residents.
How common is Abdulla?
Abdulla ranks #12,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,369 people with the surname Abdulla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,717), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Abdulla.
Has Abdulla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abdulla went from 1,741 recorded bearers to 2,369. That is an increase of 628 (+36.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,502 to #12,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Abdulla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%). 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 Abdulla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (1,482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abdulla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.6%), Black (13.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%). 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 Abdulla (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 Abdulla mean?
Servant or worshipper of Allah (God), derived from the Arabic name Abdullah. 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 Abdulla (0.79 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 Abdulla?
You can see how many people have the last name Abdulla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.