# Muhammad (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/muhammad/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Arabic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Arabic |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 19,076 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,884 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 16,185 people |
| Change since 2000 | +37% (13,972 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /mʊˈhɑməd/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Mahomet, Mohammed, Mohammad, Mohamed, Muhammed, Mahomed, Mahommed, Mehemet, Mohamad, Muhamed |

## Etymology

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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Muhammad in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 2.8% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 83% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 7.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 3.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Muhammad in the United States.

## People named Muhammad

- Dalilah Muhammad, American hurdler
- Elijah Muhammad, American religious leader (1897-1975)
- Ibtihaj Muhammad, American fencer
- Belal Muhammad, American mixed martial artist (born 1988)
- Wallace Fard Muhammad, American Islamic minister
- Shabazz Muhammad, American basketball player (born 1992)
- Matthew Saad Muhammad, American boxer (1954–2014)
- John Allen Muhammad, American serial killer, co-perpetrator in the "DC Sniper Case"
- Ruby Muhammad, American centenarian (1907–2011)

## Similar surnames

Mohammed, Mohammad, Mohamad, Mohammadi, Mahmud, Montoya, Mohamed, Mundy, Mount, Mahmood, Monday, Monte.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.