2000
#5,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,859
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Uncommon Last name
Abdullah
An Arabic surname meaning "servant of Allah" or "servant of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,757 Americans carry the last name Abdullah. That puts it at #3,166 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abdullah 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 Abdullah with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,868
Census rank
#3,166
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,125 bearers of the surname Abdullah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3166th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdullah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 39.1%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (18.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abdullah
The surname Abdullah is an Arabic name that originated in the Middle East. It is derived from the Arabic words "Abd" meaning "servant" and "Allah" meaning "God". The name translates to "Servant of God" or "Servant of Allah".
The name has its roots in the Islamic faith and can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the early days of Islam. It became a common name among Arabs and Muslims, particularly those living in the Arabian Peninsula and the surrounding regions.
One of the earliest known references to the name Abdullah can be found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. The name is mentioned several times, most notably as the name of the father of the Prophet Muhammad, Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib.
In the centuries that followed, the name Abdullah became widespread throughout the Islamic world and was adopted by people from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds who embraced Islam. It appeared in numerous historical records, manuscripts, and documents from different parts of the Middle East and North Africa.
Some notable historical figures who bore the surname Abdullah include:
1. Abdullah ibn Jahsh (died 624 AD), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and the leader of the first military expedition in Islamic history.
2. Abdullah ibn Umar (610-693 AD), a prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a scholar of Islam.
3. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (594-653 AD), another close companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a renowned scholar and reciter of the Quran.
4. Abdullah ibn Salam (died 663 AD), a Jewish scholar from Medina who converted to Islam and became a companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
5. Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (624-692 AD), a influential figure in early Islamic history and a claimant to the caliphate during the Second Islamic Civil War.
The name Abdullah has remained popular among Muslims throughout the centuries and is still widely used today in various parts of the Arab world, as well as in other regions with significant Muslim populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abdullah
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdullah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 39.1%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (18.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Abdullah 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 Abdullah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American39.1% · 4,346
- White30.8% · 3,432
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.9% · 2,106
- Two or more races7.6% · 841
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 367
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abdullah
Abdullah 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
#4,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,314
+2,455 bearers (+41.9%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Up 1,188 places
2020
#3,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,125
+2,811 bearers (+33.8%)
Per 100,000 3.72
Rank movement Up 1,106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,460 | 5,859 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,272 | 8,314 | 2.82 | +2,455 bearers (+41.9%) | Up 1,188 places |
| 2020 | #3,166 | 11,125 | 3.72 | +2,811 bearers (+33.8%) | Up 1,106 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 Abdullah 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 | #4,272 | #3,166 | 25.9% |
| Count | 8,314 | 11,125 | 33.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 3.72 | 32.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abdullah bearers went from 8,314 to 11,125 (+33.8% change). The surname moved up 1,106 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,272 to #3,166.
FAQ
Abdullah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abdullah?
Name Census estimates that about 12,757 living Americans carry the surname Abdullah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,868 residents.
How common is Abdullah?
Abdullah ranks #3,166 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.72 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 11,125 people with the surname Abdullah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,757), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.72 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 Abdullah.
Has Abdullah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abdullah went from 8,314 recorded bearers to 11,125. That is an increase of 2,811 (+33.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,272 to #3,166.
What does the Census say about the background of Abdullah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdullah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 39.1%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (18.9%). 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 Abdullah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 39.1% (4,346 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abdullah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (39.1%), White (30.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.9%). 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 Abdullah (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 Abdullah mean?
An Arabic surname 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 Abdullah (3.72 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 Abdullah?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Abdullah, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.