Muhammad

What does Muhammad mean?

"Praiseworthy"

Muhammad name origins:

Arabic

Muhammad is an Arabic name that means "praiseworthy" and is rooted in a word meaning "to praise." It has several spelling variations, including Mohammad, Mohammed, and Mohamed.

Many Muslim parents choose the name Muhammad for their sons to honor the 7th century Islamic figure and religious leader Muhammad. For Muslims, he's known as the founder of Islam some 1,400 years ago.

Step into any Muslim-majority country, like the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, or Indonesia, and you're likely to find someone with the name Muhammad. There have been countless caliphs, presidents, princes, philosophers, and other major figures with the name Muhammad throughout history.

But Muhammad is a popular name in countries where Islam is not the dominant religion, too – it was the No. 1 boy name in England and Wales in 2023.

In the United States, it's been in the top 1,000 boy names since 1976. American boxing champion Muhammad Ali was coincidentally a household name at that time. Immigration to the U.S. from Muslim countries also increased around this time, which may also explain the name's sudden boom in popularity in the latter part of the 1970s.

Since then, Muhammad has only gotten more popular in the U.S., ranking No. 272 in 2023.