Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 15

Abdal

Abdal /abˈdal/

“wandering dervish”1

Letters / syllables
5 / 2
Formation
Plain noun
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
A
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Notable people
  6. §6As a first name
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Abdal?

Abdal

IPA /abˈdal/

The stress usually falls on syllable 2 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Abdal mean?

An abdal is a wandering dervish. The word comes from Arabic abdāl, plural of badal “substitute”; in Sufi teaching it first named a rank of saints, and from the thirteenth century in Anatolia it was applied to ascetic, roaming dervishes. In everyday Turkish it also came to mean a shabby vagrant or a travelling drum-and-shawm player.1

Abdal is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Abdal made of?

Abdal is a single Arabic root: abdal (wandering dervish).

Abdal root abdal wandering dervish ARABIC abdāl “plural of badal‘substitute’; mendicant…” Abdal abdal root wandering dervish abdāl ARABIC “plural of badal ‘substitute’;mendicant dervish”
Abdal: parts and root words
  • abdāl Arabic — plural of badal “substitute”; mendicant dervish1

How was the name Abdal formed?

Abdal is the word abdal (“wandering dervish”), taken unchanged as a surname.

Shared note · 1934Surnames became compulsory with Surname Law No. 2525 of 21 June 1934.4

Who are some well-known people named Abdal?

  1. Pir Sultan Abdal singer 1480–1550
  2. Muhyiddin Abdal musician 1500–1477
  3. Kumral Abdal statesperson 1300–1400
  4. Sadık Abdal writer 1500–1500

People surnamed Abdal as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.

Is Abdal also a first name?

Yes. Abdal is given as a first name too, carrying the same sense: “wandering dervish”.

Abdal as a first name: meaning and statistics — turkiyenames.com →

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Sevan Nişanyan Nişanyan Sözlük: abdal accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: abdal accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  5. 5 turkiyenames.com Türkiye İsimleri (turkiyenames.com) accessed 9 November 2026

Common questions about Abdal

Q1

What does the surname Abdal mean?

An abdal is a wandering dervish. The word comes from Arabic abdāl, plural of badal “substitute”; in Sufi teaching it first named a rank of saints, and from the thirteenth century in Anatolia it was applied to ascetic, roaming dervishes. In everyday Turkish it also came to mean a shabby vagrant or a travelling drum-and-shawm player.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Abdal?

The root word of Abdal is abdāl (Arabic): ‘plural of badal “substitute”; mendicant dervish’.
Q3

How do you pronounce Abdal?

Ab·dal, 2 syllables; IPA: /abˈdal/.