Uddin
A Muslim surname and honorific element meaning “of the faith” or “of the religion,” originally from Arabic.
The #6,079 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,752 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Uddin comes from Arabic al-Dīn, meaning “the religion” or “the faith.” In South Asian Muslim naming, it is often used as the second half of a compound name, attached to an earlier element to express devotion or religious identity, as in forms like Nuruddin or Salahuddin. Over time, it was also adopted as a family surname, especially in Bengal, Assam, Pakistan, and among diaspora communities.
History
The element is widespread in Muslim naming traditions across South Asia and the broader Islamic world, but it became especially common as part of hereditary surnames in regions where family names stabilized under colonial and modern bureaucratic systems. In the United States, Uddin is most often associated with immigrant families from Bangladesh and nearby South Asian communities. The surname is usually a shortened or detached form of longer honorific compounds rather than an independent ancient clan name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Many famous South Asian Muslim names ending in -uddin, like Salahuddin and Nuruddin, literally include the same religious element that appears in Uddin.