boy's name
Mustafa
MUS-ta-fa
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 20,042
the United States
#760
2025 births
Mustafa is a boy's name of Arabic origin meaning "the chosen one." It is a title of the Prophet Muhammad, from a root meaning to select or purify, and is among the most-used names in Turkey.
- Mustafa is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2025, when 339 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,768 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1963.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Mustafa over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s to 2020s. Mustafa is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 21 |
| 1970s | 219 |
| 1980s | 633 |
| 1990s | 1,016 |
| 2000s | 1,605 |
| 2010s | 2,243 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,636 |
What Mustafa means
Mustafa means the chosen, or the selected. The Arabic passive participle carries a sense of being picked out as pure rather than merely selected from a group.
Where Mustafa comes from
Mustafa comes from the Arabic muṣṭafā, the chosen one, from the root ṣ-f-w, concerning purity and clarity — the same root gives Safa, meaning purity, which is also on this site. It is one of the traditional epithets of the Prophet Muhammad, alongside al-Amin, the trustworthy. The name is especially prominent in Turkey through Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the republic in 1923, and it remains among the most common Turkish men's names.
Mustafa in use
Our data shows Mustafa peaking in 2025 and still rising, at 170 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1963. Like most of our Arabic cohort, its British ranking considerably outpaces its American — a consistent pattern across every name in that group.
How popular is Mustafa?
In 2025, Mustafa was given to 298 babies in England and Wales, ranking #170 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Mustafa is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Mustafa
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mustafa also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mustafa over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Mustafa 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.
Sibling names for Mustafa
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mustafa — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mustafa
What does the name Mustafa mean?
Mustafa means "the chosen one," from the Arabic root ṣ-f-w, concerning purity.
Is Mustafa a title of the Prophet?
Yes — muṣṭafā, the chosen, is one of his traditional epithets.
Is Mustafa related to Safa?
Yes, both come from the root ṣ-f-w. Safa means purity; Mustafa means the one chosen for it.
How popular is the name Mustafa?
In 2025, Mustafa was given to 298 babies in England and Wales, ranking #170 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Mustafa a girl's or a boy's name?
Mustafa is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mustafa?
Mustafa has 3 syllables.
When was Mustafa most popular?
Mustafa peaked in 2025, when 339 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Mustafa a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mustafa currently ranks #170 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.