Fun Facts About the Name Abdullah
- More than 9 thousand babies named Abdullah: U.S. records list 9,382 babies given the name Abdullah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Abdullah Mean?
Abdullah is an Arabic theophoric name meaning "servant of God." It comes from the Arabic ʿabd (عَبْد), meaning "servant," "slave," or "worshipper," and Allāh (الله), the Arabic word for God, generally understood as a contraction of al-ʾilāh, "the God." The name is therefore literally "servant of Allah" or, in customary English rendering, "servant of God." In Arabic, the first element ʿabd is not normally used alone as a name; it forms compounds with names or attributes of God, such as ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (servant of the Merciful) and ʿAbd al-Karīm (servant of the Generous). The English spelling Abdullah reflects the Arabic nominative form ʿAbdu Allāh, with the case ending -u- between the two elements; other common transliterations include Abdallah, Abdulla, and Abd Allah.
Abdullah Name History & Origins
The name belongs to the old Arabic practice of forming personal names with ʿabd plus a divine name or epithet. The same "servant of god" pattern appears in other Semitic languages, but Abdullah is specifically Arabic because its second element is Allāh. In pre-Islamic Arabia and the early Islamic era, theophoric names of this type were already in use. A well-known early bearer is Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the father of the Prophet Muhammad, who is said in Islamic tradition to have died before Muhammad's birth. Several prominent companions of Muhammad also bore the name, including Abdullah ibn Masʿud, Abdullah ibn Umar, and Abdullah ibn Abbas.
As Islam spread, the name traveled with Arabic-speaking communities and with non-Arab Muslims who adopted Arabic religious names. It appears in Turkey as Abdullah, in Persian as Abdollāh (عبدالله), in Urdu as Abdullah (عبداللہ), and in various forms in Southeast Asia and Africa. The spelling varies by language and transliteration system, but the Arabic structure remains recognizable: ʿabd plus Allāh.
How Popular is the Name Abdullah?
Abdullah recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2014. Its best rank was #635 in 2014.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #763 | 337 | 0.0197% |
| 2024 | #781 | 320 | 0.0187% |
| 2023 | #773 | 330 | 0.0193% |
| 2022 | #789 | 319 | 0.0183% |
| 2021 | #983 | 225 | 0.0129% |
| 2020 | #811 | 286 | 0.0166% |
| 2019 | #738 | 327 | 0.0182% |
| 2018 | #690 | 351 | 0.0193% |
| 2017 | #722 | 332 | 0.0179% |
| 2016 | #650 | 406 | 0.0214% |
| 2015 | #653 | 395 | 0.0206% |
| 2014 | #635 | 413 | 0.0215% |
| 2013 | #652 | 372 | 0.0197% |
| 2012 | #748 | 305 | 0.0161% |
| 2011 | #763 | 294 | 0.0155% |
| 2010 | #904 | 225 | 0.0117% |
| 2009 | #834 | 259 | 0.0131% |
| 2008 | #954 | 210 | 0.0103% |
| 2007 | #895 | 224 | 0.0108% |
| 2006 | #893 | 219 | 0.0107% |
| 2005 | #884 | 206 | 0.0103% |
| 2004 | #899 | 192 | 0.0097% |
| 2003 | #888 | 190 | 0.0096% |
| 2002 | #753 | 230 | 0.0118% |
| 2001 | #782 | 216 | 0.0111% |
| 2000 | #869 | 182 | 0.0093% |
| 1999 | #777 | 204 | 0.0106% |
| 1998 | #895 | 162 | 0.0085% |
| 1997 | #1,016 | 125 | 0.0066% |
| 1996 | #969 | 131 | 0.0069% |
| 1995 | #1,172 | 97 | 0.0051% |
| 1994 | #1,153 | 97 | 0.0050% |
| 1993 | #1,097 | 104 | 0.0053% |
| 1992 | #1,321 | 73 | 0.0037% |
| 1991 | #1,254 | 79 | 0.0039% |
| 1990 | #1,294 | 73 | 0.0036% |
| 1989 | #1,411 | 60 | 0.0030% |
| 1988 | #1,576 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1987 | #1,535 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 1986 | #1,320 | 55 | 0.0030% |
| 1985 | #1,485 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1984 | #1,444 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 1983 | #1,152 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 1982 | #1,217 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 1981 | #1,246 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 1980 | #1,341 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1979 | #1,390 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 1978 | #1,326 | 47 | 0.0029% |
| 1977 | #1,390 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 1976 | #1,453 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 1975 | #1,594 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 1974 | #1,747 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 1973 | #3,013 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #2,079 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1971 | #2,813 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #2,399 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1969 | #3,595 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #2,445 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1967 | #3,969 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #2,628 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1965 | #3,243 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #4,037 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,642 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #3,019 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #3,372 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Abdullah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Abdullah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Abdullah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.