Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Muhammad

Say it moo-HAM-ud 3 syllables

Arabic · “praised, commendable, laudable”

Loved in England and Wales, Israel, Ontario, and Scotland. Common across five German cities, Ireland, Norway, and 5 more places. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

1 in 46 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 1 there.

Muhammad in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 4, common in 12, rare in 12.
Muhammad in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales1 (up)20255,9571 in 4652020
Scotland4 (up)20252911 in 67312020
Northern Ireland103 (up)2025231 in 3603042020
Ireland35 (up)20251391 in 171772020
North America
Ontario (province)9 (up)2024463about 1 in 129312019
Quebec (province)354 (up)202513about 1 in 2,2354912020
British Columbia (province)91 (up)202338about 1 in 3431882018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)21 (up)2025223392020
Victoria (state)18 (up)2025232392020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)34 (new in the list)202541Not listed2020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France248 (up)20252201 in 1,3763302020
Netherlands189 (up)202589about 1 in 7482652020
Central Europe
Austria129 (down)2025521 in 7321272020
Switzerland422 (up)2025181 in 2,0006242020
Berlin (city)56 (up)202350about 1 in 3101262018
Munich (city)73 (new in the list)202517about 1 in 257Not listed2020
Cologne (city)125 (up)202310about 1 in 6384082018
Bonn (city)54 (up)202510about 1 in 3171882020
Leipzig (city)93 (up)20256about 1 in 4792172020
Rostock (city)96 (up)20252about 1 in 5242122020
Nordic countries
Norway92 (down)2025711 in 328862020
Sweden151 (up)202566about 1 in 6531842020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)101 (up)2025461 in 4501612020
Italy171 (up)20241121 in 1,6912182019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland270 (up)2025171 in 7,4363652020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city) (published as Мухаммад)14 (up)2025945292020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as מוחמד)120242,257about 1 in 3812019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Moscow publishes names in Cyrillic script; the original is shown beside the name. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Muhammad is the name of the Prophet of Islam, and it comes straight from the Arabic word meaning 'praised, commendable, laudable'. It is a passive participle of a verb meaning 'to praise', from the same root as the separate name Mahmud.

2 more paragraphs

Said moo-HAM-ud, it has three syllables with the stress in the middle. Because it has been written in many alphabets, it has many spellings and forms, among them Mohammed, Mohammad, Mohamed, Muhammed and Mehmet.

Muhammad is the leading boys' name in England and Wales and in Israel, and it ranks high in Scotland and Ontario. Its trend is unusually strong: it is rising almost everywhere it is recorded and falling nowhere. Canadian records place its peak at the most recent count, which shows how much it has grown.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
moo-HAM-ud · 3 syllables · Stress on beat 2 of 3.
Meaning
“praised, commendable, laudable”
Origin
Arabic
Related names
Mahmoud, Mohammed, Mohammad, Mohamed, Muhammed, Mehmet, Mahmud, Hemedti, Momo, Mahomet, Mahomed, Mahommed, Mohamad, Muhamed, Muhamad, Mehmed, Magomed, Mahamed
Where Muhammad comes from (Wiktionary)

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.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Muhammad. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Muhammad over time

Rising in 21 of the 25 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 0. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2024.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Muhammad in England and Wales: #108 in 1996, a peak of #1 in 2023, and #1 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #108, 441 boys1997: #95, 552 boys1998: #89, 621 boys1999: #82, 659 boys2000: #69, 780 boys2001: #69, 861 boys2002: #61, 979 boys2003: #61, 1,048 boys2004: #51, 1,286 boys2005: #52, 1,318 boys2006: #43, 1,636 boys2007: #38, 1,818 boys2008: #37, 2,081 boys2009: #36, 2,162 boys2010: #31, 2,451 boys2011: #22, 2,854 boys2012: #19, 3,165 boys2013: #15, 3,499 boys2014: #14, 3,593 boys2015: #12, 3,730 boys2016: #8, 3,908 boys2017: #10, 3,691 boys2018: #8, 3,507 boys2019: #7, 3,604 boys2020: #5, 3,710 boys2021: #5, 3,722 boys2022: #2, 4,177 boys2023: #1, 4,661 boys2024: #1, 5,721 boys2025: #1, 5,957 boys#108 in 1996peak #1, 2023#1in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996108441
199795552
199889621
199982659
200069780
200169861
200261979
2003611,048
2004511,286
2005521,318
2006431,636
2007381,818
2008372,081
2009362,162
2010312,451
2011222,854
2012193,165
2013153,499
2014143,593
2015123,730
201683,908
2017103,691
201883,507
201973,604
202053,710
202153,722
202224,177
202314,661
202415,721
202515,957

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Muhammad in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2016. Peak: 2024, about 773 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 0 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 5.1 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 6.3 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 10.2 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 15.9 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 38.3 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 113.2 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 250.7 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 322.3 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 409.8 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 599.2 per 100,000 boys20202020-2024: about 1 in 167 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590
1960–19640
1965–19690
1970–19740
1975–19795.1
1980–19846.3
1985–198910.2
1990–199415.9
1995–199938.3
2000–2004113.2
2005–2009250.7
2010–2014322.3
2015–2019409.8
2020–2024599.2

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Muhammad

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Muhammad, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 372, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 435, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 104, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 341, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 202, Northern Ireland

  6. 1 in 76, Ireland

  7. 1 in 832, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 169, Ireland

  9. 1 in 64, Austria

  10. 1 in 164, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Muhammad

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Muhammad's 3 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 112, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Muhammad Jack

Syllables 3-1Initials M.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Muhammad

Sisters for Muhammad: Layla, Zara, Amira, and 5 more
  1. LaylaRose and fell with Muhammad · Same generation as Muhammad
  2. ZaraRose and fell with Muhammad · Same generation as Muhammad
  3. AmiraRose and fell with Muhammad · Same generation as Muhammad
  4. MaryamRose and fell with Muhammad · Same generation as Muhammad · Same initial as Muhammad
  5. MilaRose and fell with Muhammad · Same generation as Muhammad · Same initial as Muhammad
  6. AvaRose and fell with Muhammad · Same generation as Muhammad
  7. NoorRose and fell with Muhammad · Same generation as Muhammad
  8. MayaRose and fell with Muhammad · Same generation as Muhammad · Same initial as Muhammad

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Muhammad

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Muhammad's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Common across the UK, the Netherlands, Ontario, and 10 more places.

  2. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 15 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  4. Common across three Canadian provinces, Israel, Sweden, and 10 more places.

  5. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 15 more places.

  6. Loved across the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and 7 more places.

  7. Rare in Italy, Poland, Sweden, and 12 more places.

  8. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

Famous people named Muhammad

Muhammad, Muhammad Ali, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Muhammad

How popular is Muhammad in England and Wales?

Muhammad ranked #1 in England and Wales in 2025, given to 5,957 boys, about 1 in 46.

Is Muhammad rising in popularity?

Yes, in most of the places we can check. Rising in 21 of the 25 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 0. Rising in: Northern Ireland, Scotland, Victoria, British Columbia, New South Wales, and 16 other regions.

What does Muhammad mean?

Muhammad means “praised, commendable, laudable”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Muhammad have?

Muhammad has 3 syllables: moo-HAM-ud.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

0kept

Kept names collect here.

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