The first name Mustafa
A boy’s name from Arabic meaning “the chosen one”.
3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Arabic origin
Mustafa means “the chosen one” in Arabic.
From Arabic مُصْطَفَى (muṣṭafā, “the chosen one”).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 298 boys were named Mustafa, making it the 170th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2024, with 303 births (#165).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Mustafa with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Mustafa at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 339 boys born in the United States were named Mustafa, the 761st 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.
Mustafa in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Mustafa in Finnish, Slovene and Turkish too.
Famous people named Mustafa
51 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Mustafa Kemal AtatürkFounding father of the Republic of Turkey (c. 1881–1938)
- Mustafa I15th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1617–1618, 1622–1623)
- Mustafa III26th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1757–1774)
- Mustafa II22th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1695–1703)
- Mustafa IV29th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1807–1808)
- Mustafa Abdul JalilDe facto leader of Libya from 2011 to 2012
- Mustafa AminiAustralian association football player, born 1993
- Mustafa al-NahhasEgyptian politician and Prime Minister (1879–1965)
- Mustafa Şentop29th Speaker of the Grand National Assemly of Turkey, born 1968
- Mustafa KamilEgyptian politician (1874–1908)
- Mustafa MahmoudEgyptian scientist and Muslm and author (1921–2009)
- Mustafa NadarevićBosnian actor (1943–2020)
More Arabic boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Mustafa mean?
- Mustafa means “the chosen one” in Arabic.
- What is the origin of the name Mustafa?
- From Arabic مُصْطَفَى (muṣṭafā, “the chosen one”).
- How popular is the name Mustafa?
- In 2025, 298 boys born in England and Wales were named Mustafa, ranking 170th. Its peak was 2024, with 303 births.
- Is Mustafa a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 7,373 US babies named Mustafa since 1880 were boys.
- When was Mustafa most popular?
- 2025 in the United States, when 339 babies were named Mustafa, its highest rank at 761st.
- Is Mustafa also a surname?
- Yes. Mustafa is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.