Muhammad

How to say it

/məˈhɑm.əd/

What it means

Arabic Muḥammad, 'praised, praiseworthy.' The Prophet Muhammad (c. 570-632) is the founder of Islam; his name is the most common given name in the world, with hundreds of millions of bearers across Muslim communities.

Muhammad comes from the Arabic Muḥammad ('praised, praiseworthy'). The Prophet Muhammad (c. 570-632), founder of Islam and recipient of the Qur'an, makes the name the most-given masculine name in the world — hundreds of millions of bearers across Muslim communities, with the name often given as the first or middle name of male children in traditional families. The name has many spelling variants in English: Muhammad, Mohammed, Muhammed, Mohamad. Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., 1942-2016) brought the name decisive English-language anchor through boxing and his stand against the Vietnam War. The English-speaking US has used Muhammad in earnest since the 1970s. Common shorts: Mo, Hamid.

Heads-up notes

• Spelling

  Muhammad is the standard English transliteration; Mohammed, Mohamad, and Muhammed all also circulate. The Arabic is the same name in all cases.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Prophet Muhammad Founder of Islam, c. 570-632
• Muhammad Ali Heavyweight boxing champion, civil-rights and anti-war figure, 1942-2016

Spelling variants

• Mohammed
• Mohamad
• Muhammed

Names with the same feeling

• Amir Prince, commander
• Kai Sea, or 'keeper of the keys'
• Noah Rest, comfort
• Elias Yahweh is God
• Isaac He will laugh

See Muhammad from another angle