The first nameMuhammad
A boy’s name from Arabic meaning “praised”, “commendable”, “laudable”.
Pronounced /mʊˈhɑməd/ 3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Arabic origin
Muhammad means “praised”, “commendable”, “laudable” in Arabic.
Transliteration of Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad, “praised, commendable, laudable”), the passive participle of حَمَّدَ (ḥammada, “to praise, commend, laud, extol”). From the same triconsonantal root ح م د (ḥ m d) as, but distinct from, Mahmud. Doublet of Mahound and mammet.
More names that mean famous.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 5,957 boys were named Muhammad, making it the 1st most popular boys’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Muhammad with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Muhammad at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,473 boys born in the United States were named Muhammad, the 239th most popular boys’ name that year.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Muhammad in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Muhammad in Indonesian too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Muhammad
418 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- MuhammadArabian political leader and the founder of Islam (c. 570–632)
- Muhammad AliAmerican boxer (1942–2016)
- Muḥammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi9th-century Persian mathematician and astronomer, 780–850
- Muhammad YunusBangladeshi banker, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the former Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, born 1940
- Muhammad IqbalBritish-Indian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician (1877-1938)
- Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-SabtiAndalusian geographer (1100–1165)
- Muhammad AbduhEgyptian Islamic jurist, religious scholar and liberal reformer (1849-1905)
- Muhammad al-BaqirFifth of the Twelve Shia Imams, 677–733
- Muhammad ibn Tughluq18th Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate and 2nd from the Tughluq dynasty, 1290–1351
- Muhammad V of Kelantan15th and former Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia & 29th and current Al-Sultan of Kelantan, born 1969
- Muhammad Shah12th Mughal Emperor from 1719 to 1748
- Muhammad I of CórdobaEmir of Córdoba from 852 to 886
More Arabic boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Muhammad mean?
- Muhammad means “praised”, “commendable”, “laudable” in Arabic.
- What is the origin of the name Muhammad?
- Transliteration of Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad, “praised, commendable, laudable”), the passive participle of حَمَّدَ (ḥammada, “to praise, commend, laud, extol”). From the same triconsonantal root ح م د (ḥ m d) as, but distinct from, Mahmud. Doublet of Mahound and mammet.
- How popular is the name Muhammad?
- In 2025, 5,957 boys born in England and Wales were named Muhammad, ranking 1st.