2000
#17,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Abdul
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "servant of" or "worshiper of," typically followed by one of the names of God.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,816 Americans carry the last name Abdul. That puts it at #12,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,717 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abdul 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 Abdul with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,717
Census rank
#12,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,456 bearers of the surname Abdul in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdul, the largest self-reported group is Black at 36.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.1%) and White (14.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abdul
The surname "Abdul" originated in the Arab world, specifically in the Arabian Peninsula, during the early Islamic era. It is an Arabic name derived from the root word "abd," which means "servant" or "slave," and is often used in conjunction with one of the names of God, such as "Abdul Rahman" (servant of the Most Merciful).
The earliest records of the name "Abdul" can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when it was commonly used as a name among the Arabs who embraced Islam. The name gained significance during the Islamic conquests, as it spread to various regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname "Abdul" was Abdul Rahman ibn Awf, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the early converts to Islam. Born in Mecca around 580 CE, he played a crucial role in the establishment of the Islamic state and is considered one of the ten companions promised paradise.
Another prominent figure was Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, the fifth Umayyad caliph who ruled from 685 to 705 CE. He was instrumental in consolidating the Umayyad dynasty and is credited with establishing Arabic as the official language of the caliphate.
In the realm of science and scholarship, Abdul Qahir al-Jurjani, born in 1009 CE, was a renowned linguist and literary theorist from modern-day Iran. His works, such as "Dala'il al-I'jaz" (Proofs of the Inimitable), made significant contributions to the field of Arabic rhetoric and literary criticism.
During the golden age of Islamic civilization, Abdul Rahman al-Sufi, an influential Persian astronomer and mathematician, lived from 903 to 986 CE. He is best known for his book "Book of Fixed Stars," which provided detailed descriptions and illustrations of various constellations and stars.
In more recent history, Abdul Aziz Al Saud, born in 1876, was the founder of the modern Saudi Arabian state. He united the various tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, laying the foundation for the country's current political and economic influence in the region.
It is worth noting that while "Abdul" is primarily associated with the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions that have been influenced by or have had interactions with the Arab world throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abdul
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdul, the largest self-reported group is Black at 36.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.1%) and White (14.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Abdul 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 Abdul surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American36.4% · 895
- Asian and Pacific Islander35.1% · 863
- White14.9% · 366
- Two or more races8.6% · 210
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abdul
Abdul 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
#14,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,978
+453 bearers (+29.7%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 2,203 places
2020
#12,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,456
+478 bearers (+24.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 2,839 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,153 | 1,525 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,950 | 1,978 | 0.67 | +453 bearers (+29.7%) | Up 2,203 places |
| 2020 | #12,111 | 2,456 | 0.82 | +478 bearers (+24.2%) | Up 2,839 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 Abdul 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 | #14,950 | #12,111 | 19.0% |
| Count | 1,978 | 2,456 | 24.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.82 | 22.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abdul bearers went from 1,978 to 2,456 (+24.2% change). The surname moved up 2,839 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,950 to #12,111.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Abdul
FAQ
Abdul surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abdul?
Name Census estimates that about 2,816 living Americans carry the surname Abdul. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,717 residents.
How common is Abdul?
Abdul ranks #12,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,456 people with the surname Abdul. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,816), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Abdul.
Has Abdul become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abdul went from 1,978 recorded bearers to 2,456. That is an increase of 478 (+24.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,950 to #12,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Abdul?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abdul, the largest self-reported group is Black at 36.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.1%) and White (14.9%). 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 Abdul in the 2020 Census, accounting for 36.4% (895 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abdul appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (36.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (35.1%), White (14.9%). 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 Abdul (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 Abdul mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "servant of" or "worshiper of," typically followed by one of the names 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 Abdul (0.82 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 Abdul?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.