The story behind Muhammad
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.
Other language forms and explanations (4)
Indonesian entry
Borrowed from Malay Muhammad, from Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad).
Tagalog entry
Borrowed from Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad), from حَمَّدَ (ḥammada). Doublet of Mahoma.
Malay entry
Borrowed from Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad).
Hindi entry
Borrowed from Classical Persian مُحَمَّد (muhammad), from Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad).
Pronunciation
English; dialect unspecified: /mʊˈhɑməd/
Regional pronunciation variants
- English; dialect unspecified: /mʊˈhæməd/
- English; dialect unspecified: /məˈhæmɪd/
- Indonesian: [muˈhamat̚]
- Tagalog; Standard-Tagalog: /muˈhamad/
- Tagalog; Standard-Tagalog: [mʊˈhaː.mɐd̪̚]
- Malay: [mu.ha.mat]
- Malay: [mu.ħam.mad]
- Hindi; Hindi; Standard: /mʊ.ɦəm.məd̪/
- Hindi; Hindi; Standard: [mɔ.ɦɔ̃m.mɐd̪]
Popularity
Muhammad ranked #239 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Muhammad
Mohamad
A male given name from Arabic: alternative spelling of Muhammad.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends D
- same syllable count
- similar length
Mohamed
A male given name from Arabic, variant of Muhammad. a male given name from Arabic, equivalent to English Muhammad
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends D
- same syllable count
- similar length
Mohammad
A male given name from Arabic: alternative spelling of Muhammad.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends D
- same syllable count
- similar length
Mohammed
A male given name from Arabic: alternative spelling of Muhammad. Borrowed from Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends D
- same syllable count
- similar length
Muhamed
A male given name from Arabic: alternative spelling of Muhammad. Ultimately from Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad). Doublet of Mehmed.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends D
- same syllable count
- similar length
Muhammed
A male given name from Arabic: alternative spelling of Muhammad. Inherited from Ottoman Turkish محمد (Muhammed), from Arabic مُحَمَّد (muḥammad).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends D
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Muhammad
Aaliyah
Popularized by American singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001). Transliteration of Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends H
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Abaz
Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish عباس (ʼabbas), from Arabic عَبَّاس (ʕabbās, literally “frowning; lion”). For the final /z/ compare abanoz. Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish عباس…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Z
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Abbas
From Arabic عَبَّاس (ʕabbās, “one who frowns a lot; untamed lion”), from عَبَسَ (ʕabasa, “to frown”), the title of the eightieth sura of the Qur'an. From Arabic عَبَّاس (ʕabbās).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends S
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Muhammad
Aaliyah
Popularized by American singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001). Transliteration of Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends H
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Abacar
Borrowed from Arabic أَبُو بَكْر (ʔabū bakr, literally “father of a young camel; father of a person named Bakr”).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends R
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Abdala
From Old Galician-Portuguese Abdalla, from Arabic عَبْدُ الله (ʕabdu llāh).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length