boy's name
Muhammad
muu-HAM-mad
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 116,614
the United States
#239
2025 births
Muhammad is a boy's name of Arabic origin meaning "praiseworthy" or "the praised one." It comes from the root h-m-d, to praise, and is the name of the Prophet of Islam, which is why it is among the most given names on earth.
- Muhammad is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2025, when 5,957 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 88 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Muhammad over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,273 |
| 2000s | 13,969 |
| 2010s | 34,002 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 27,948 |
What Muhammad means
Muhammad means praiseworthy, or one who is worthy of praise. It is a passive participle built from the Arabic verbal root h-m-d, which carries the sense of praising or commending.
Where Muhammad comes from
Muhammad comes from the Arabic triliteral root h-m-d, meaning to praise or commend. The same root produces Ahmad, Mahmoud and Hamid, along with the word hamd, praise, which opens the first chapter of the Quran. Muhammad is the intensive passive form: not merely praised, but repeatedly and abundantly praised. The name belonged to the Prophet of Islam, born in Mecca around 570 CE, and its use spread with Islam across Arabia, Persia, South Asia, Africa and eventually Europe. Because Arabic is written without short vowels and has sounds English lacks, the name reaches the Latin alphabet in many forms — Muhammad, Mohammed, Mohammad, Muhammed, Mohamed — all the same name, transliterated differently.
Muhammad in use
In our England and Wales data Muhammad is the number one boys' name, while in United States records it sits at 239. The gap is a difference in population, not in popularity among the families who use it. England and Wales counts also split across at least five spellings, so the single-spelling ranking understates the name's true reach.
How popular is Muhammad?
In 2025, Muhammad was given to 5,957 babies in England and Wales, ranking #1 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Muhammad is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
How Muhammad is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mûhammad | Mûhammad is a rare spelling of Muhammad, written with a circumflex and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Muhammad
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Muhammad also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Muhammad over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Muhammad
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Muhammad in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Bangla
- Mehmet
Sibling names for Muhammad
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Muhammad — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Muhammad
What does the name Muhammad mean?
Muhammad means "praiseworthy" or "the praised one," from the Arabic root h-m-d, to praise.
Is Muhammad the most popular boys' name in the UK?
In our England and Wales data, yes — Muhammad is ranked number one. Counting the other spellings together would extend the lead further.
What is the difference between Muhammad and Mohammed?
None in meaning. They are two ways of writing the same Arabic name in the Latin alphabet, since Arabic short vowels are not written.
How many syllables are in Muhammad?
Muhammad has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Muhammad?
Muhammad is usually shortened to Mo, Hamid and Ham.
Is Muhammad a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Muhammad currently ranks #1 in England and Wales. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.