Abd Allah (), also spelled Abdallah, Abdellah, Abdollah, Abdullah, Abdulla, Abdalla and many others, is an Arabic name meaning "Servant of God". It is built from the Arabic words abd () and Allāh (). Although the first letter "a" in Allāh, as the first letter of the article al-, is usually unstressed in Arabic, it is usually stressed in the pronunciation of this name. The variants Abdollah and Abdullah represent the elision of this "a" following the "u" of the Classical Arabic nominative case (pronounced  in Persian). Abd Allah is one of many Arabic theophoric names, meaning servant of God. God's Follower is also a meaning of this name.

Humility before God is an essential value of Islam, hence Abdullah is a common name among Muslims. However, the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's father was Abdullah. The prophet's father died before his birth, which indicates that the name was already in use in pre-Islamic Arabia.

It is also common among Mizrahi Jews, especially Iraqi Jews and Syrian Jews. The name is cognate to and has the same meaning as the Hebrew Abdiel and, more commonly, Obadiah. There were two Jewish rabbis in Medina before Islam came; they were Abdullah ibn Salam and Abdullah ibn Shuria. Abdullah ibn Saba was a Yemenite Jew during the spread of Islam.

The variant used in the Russian language is "" (Abdulla) (cf. Fedul, which has similar origins), with "" (Abdul) and "" (Gabdulla) often used in Adyghe. The Spanish variant is Abdala.

The Christian Arabic Bible uses the word Allah for God. Presently in the Middle East, the name is sometimes used by Christians as a given or family name.

Given name

Abd Allah
Abd Allah ibn Muhammad, son of Muhammad
Abd Allah ibn Uthman, son of third caliph Uthman
Abd Allah ibn Abd Allah, companion of Muhammad
Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr, son of caliph Abu Bakr
Abd Allah ibn Saba, Jewish anti-Rashidun rebel
Abd Allah ibn Salam, Jewish convert to Islam
Abd Allah ibn Ubayy (died 631), leading inhabitant of Medina and contemporary of Muhammad
Abd Allah ibn Umar (610–693 CE), narrator of hadith
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, (died 692), ruler of the 8th-century Zubayrid Caliphate
Abd Allah ibn Yazid, an Umayyad prince and Military leader
 Abd Allah ibn Harun al-Rashid (died 833 CE), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun, seventh Abbasid caliph
 Abd-Allah ibn Musa al-Hadi, an Abbasid prince and son of Caliph Al-Hadi

Abdalla
Abdalla El-Masri, Lebanese composer
Abdalla Hamdok, most recent Sudanese president, who was deposed in a coup

Abdallah
Abdallah Abdalsalam (born 1983), Egyptian volleyball player
Abdallah al-Adil (1224–1227), Caliph of Morocco
Abdallah Aich (born 1995), Lebanese footballer
Abdallah ibn Amir, Rashidun politician and military officer
Abdallah Djaballah (born 1956), Algerian politician
Abdallah Al-Fakhouri (born 2000), Jordanian footballer
Abdallah Kamal (1965–2014), Egyptian journalist and politician
Abdallah El Maaroufi (1944–2011), Moroccan diplomat 
Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz (861–908), Arab poet
Abdallah Saaf (born 1949), Moroccan academic and politician
Abdallah ibn Sa'd, Arab administrator and commander 
Abdallah Shihiri, politician of the Somali Dervish movement 
Abdallah Somekh (1813–1889), Iraqi rabbi
Abdallah El-Yafi (1901–1986), Lebanese politician

Abdelilah
Abdelilah Saber (born 1974), Moroccan association football player

Abdellah
Abdellah Béhar (born 1963), French runner
Abdellah Blinda (born 1951), Moroccan association football manager
Abdellah Liegeon (born 1957), Algerian association football player
Abdellah Ouzghar, Canadian and Moroccan, arrested after attacks of Sept 11, 2001

Abdollah

Abdollah Jassbi, Iranian academic
Abdollah Mojtabavi, Iranian sport wrestler
Abdollah Movahed, Iranian sport wrestler
Abdollah Nouri, Iranian reformist politician
Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, Iranian academic
Abdollah Shahbazi, Iranian researcher
Seyyed Abdollah Fateminia, Iranian Cleric
Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, Iranian Cleric

Abdulai
Abdulai Bell-Baggie, English association football player
Abdulai Conteh, Sierra Leonean politician

Abdulah
Abdulah Gegić (1924–2008), Yugoslav football coach and doctor of sciences in the veterinary field
Abdulah Ibraković, Bosnian professional football manager
Abdulah Muhasilović, Bosnian army chaplain
Abdulah Mutapčić, Bosnian politician
Abdulah Nakaš (1944–2005), Bosnian surgeon
Abdulah Oruč, Bosnian professional football manager 
Abdulah Sidran, Bosnian poet
Abdulah Skaka, Bosnian politician

Abdullah
Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib (545–570), the father of Muhammad
Abdullah I (disambiguation), multiple rulers
Abdullah II (disambiguation), multiple rulers
Abdullah (Chagatai Khanate) (died 1359), ruler of the Chagatai
Abdullah (Ismaili Mustaali Missionary), first Ismaili, Fatimid, mustaali saint to reach India, c. 1067 AD
Abdullah ibn Abbas, narrator of hadith
Abdullah Nur (1910–1997), Indonesian ulama
Abdullah Abdullah (born 1960), the former foreign minister of Afghanistan
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah (1963–2020), al-Qaeda terrorist
Abdullah al-Amiri, judge in the trial of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein who was replaced after allegations of bias
Abdullah Anderson (born 1996), American football player
Abdullah Atalar (born 1954), Turkish academic
Abdullah Avcı (born 1963), Turkish association football manager
Abdullah Aydoğdu (born 1991), Turkish Paralympian goalball player
Abdullah Yusuf Azzam (1941–1989), Islamist leader, assassinated in 1989
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (born 1939), Prime Minister of Malaysia (2003–2009)
Abdullah el Baqui (1886–1952), Bengali Islamic scholar, writer and politician
Abdullah Baybaşin, Turkish mob boss
Abdullah Bishara (born 1936), Kuwaiti diplomat
Abdullah Bughra, Emir of the First East Turkestan Republic
Abdullah Cevdet, Turkish physician
Abdullah Çatlı, Turkish convicted drug trafficker
Abdullah Al Damluji, Iraqi physician and politician
Abdullah Demirbaş (born 1966), Turkish politician
Abdullah Durak (born 1987), Turkish association football player
Abdullah Ercan (born 1971), Turkish association football player
Abdullah Gül (born 1950), Turkish politician and former President
Abdullah Halman (born 1987), Turkish association football player
Abdullah bin Suleiman Al Hamdan (1887–1965), Saudi Arabian politician and businessman
Abdullah al-Harari, Islamic scholar
Abdullah I of Jordan (1882–1951), Emir of Transjordan (1921–1946) and King of Jordan (1946–1951)
Abdullah II of Jordan (born 1962), King of Jordan since 1999
Abdullah İçel, Turkish-Belgian futsal player
Abdullah Abdul Kadir (1796–1854), early 19th century Malay writer
Abdullah Khadr, Canadian ex-prisoner of the "War on Terror"
Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa (1769–1849), ruler of Bahrain between 1821 and 1843
Abdullah Khan (disambiguation), multiple people
Abdullah Kobayashi, born Yosuke Kobayashi, Japanese wrestler
Abdullah al Mahmood, Bengali politician and former minister in Pakistan
Abdullah Malallah, Emirati association football player
Abdullah al Mamun (disambiguation), multiple people
Abdullah Mando, Syrian footballer
Abdullah ibn Masud (died 652), a companion of Muhammad
Abdullah Mirza (1410–1451), ruler of the Timurid Empire
Abdullah Morsi, son of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi
Abdullah Muhammad Shah II of Perak, one of the parties to the Pangkor Treaty of 1874
Abdullah Abbas Nadwi, Islamic scholar
Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirati politician
Abdullah Nangyal, Pashtun human rights activist and one of the leaders of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Emirati engineer and politician
Abdullah Oğuz, Turkish film director
Abdullah Öcalan (born 1948), Kurdish opposition leader and founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party
Abdullah Öztürk (born 1989), Turkish para table tennis player
Abdullah of Pahang (b. 1959), King of Malaysia and Sultan of Pahang
Abdullah bin Ali Al Rashid (1788–1848), founder of the Emirate of Jabal Shammar
Abdullah bin Ghazi (1935–1998), Pakistani religious scholar and founder of Faridia University, Islamabad
Abdullah Al Rasi (1929–1994), Lebanese physician and politician
Abdullah ibn Rawaha (C. 590–629), general in the Battle of Mut'ah
Abdullah bin Saud Al Saud (died 1819), Ruler of the First Saudi State
Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud (1831–1889), Ruler of the Emirate of Diriyah
Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud (1923–2007), Saudi royal and businessman
Abdullah bin Thunayan Al Saud (died 1843), Emir of Nejd
Abdullah bin Abdullah Al Saud (born 1843), Saudi royal
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (1924–2015), Former ruler of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Muhammad Al Sheikh (1751–1829), Wahhabi scholar
Abdullah Elyasa Süme (born 1983), Turkish association football player
Abdullah Tal (1918–1973), Jordanian soldier
Abdullah Al Thani (disambiguation), multiple people
Ovadia Yosef (1920–2013), Israeli rabbi, born Abdullah Youssef

Surname

Abdalla
Ahmad Abdalla, Egyptian film director
Ali Abdalla, Eritrean long-distance runner
Asha Ahmed Abdalla, Somali politician
Khalid Abdalla, British actor

Abdallah
Sallamah Umm Abdallah, was the spouse of Muhammad ibn Ali and mother of Al-Mansur.
Marajil also known as Umm Abdallah. She was the mother of Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun.
Abu Makhlad Abdallah, Iranian statesman from Tabaristan
Ali al-Abdallah, Syrian writer and human rights activist
Gene G. Abdallah (1934–2019), American politician
Mohamed Abdallah (born Nov 1975), British citizen with African origin, A Chartered Accountant with ACCA and CPA(T)

Abdellah
Faye Glenn Abdellah (1919–2017), American nurse
Nacer Abdellah (born 1966), Moroccan footballer

Abdulah
Clive Abdulah (born 1927), former Bishop of Trinidad

Abdullah
Abdul Abdullah (born 1986), Australian artist, brother of artist Abdul-Rahman Abdullah
Abdul Rahman Abdullah, Muslim name of Donny Meluda, armed robber
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (born 1977), Australian artist, brother of artist Abdul Abdullah
Abdullah Abdullah (born 1960), former foreign minister of Afghanistan
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah (1963–2020), al-Qaeda terrorist
Adel Abdullah (born 1984), Syrian association football player
Ameer Abdullah (born 1993), American football running back
Bilal Abdullah (born 1980), British doctor of Iraqi descent behind the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
Chelsea Abdullah (), Kuwaiti American novelist
Husain Abdullah (born 1985), American football safety for the Minnesota Vikings
Khalid Abdullah (disambiguation), multiple people
Majed Abdullah (born 1959), former Saudi Arabian footballer
Mohamed Abdullah (disambiguation), multiple people
Farah Zeynep Abdullah (born 1989), Turkish actress
Mansoor Abdullah, Singaporean convicted killer 
Mohammed Abdullah (disambiguation), multiple people
Muhammad Kho Abdullah (1984–2016), Muslim name of Kho Jabing, convicted Malaysian killer 
Nadhem Abdullah, Iraqi murdered during the Occupation of Iraq
Omar Abdullah (born 1970), last Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
Rahim Abdullah (born 1976), former American football player
 Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar, a participant in the Klang War
Salem Abdullah (disambiguation), multiple people
Salwa Abdullah (born 1953), Syrian politician
Sheikh Abdullah (1905–1982), known as Sher-e-Kashmir, first Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
Tewfik Abdullah (born 1896), Egyptian footballer
Yasir Abdullah (born 2000), American football player

Fictional characters
Abdul Alhazred, sometimes referred to as Abdullah Alhazred
Abdullah (comics), from The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé
Abdullah the Butcher, born Lawrence Shreve, Canadian wrestler
Abdullah ibn al-Wahhab from the Amelia Peabody series, foreman for the Emerson family's archeological excavation sites
Abdullah, main protagonist of Castle in the Air, the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle

See also

Related names
Abdala
Abdollah (disambiguation)
Abdullah (disambiguation)
Abdullah I (disambiguation)
Abdullah II (disambiguation)
Abdullah Al Mamun (disambiguation)
Abdullah Khan (disambiguation)
Abdullah Al Thani (disambiguation)
Abdullahi
Abu Abdullah
Khalid Abdullah (disambiguation)
King Abdullah (disambiguation)
Mohamed Abdullah (disambiguation)
Mohammed Abdullah (disambiguation)
Raja Abdullah (disambiguation)
Salem Abdullah (disambiguation)

Other
Arabic name
Dasa
Turkish name
List of Arabic theophoric names

References

Notes

Sources
А. В. Суперанская (A. V. Superanskaya). "Современный словарь личных имён: Сравнение. Происхождение. Написание" (Modern Dictionary of First Names: Comparison. Origins. Spelling). Айрис-пресс. Москва, 2005. 

Masculine given names
Arabic-language surnames
Arabic masculine given names
Bosniak masculine given names
Iranian masculine given names
Turkish masculine given names
Pakistani masculine given names
Theophoric names