Ahmad

Ahmad and Ahmed
Pronunciation English: /ˈɑːmæd/, or
/ˈɑːmɛd/. Arabic: [ˈ(ʔ)æħmæd].
Turkish: [ˈahmet].
Hindustani: [ˈaːhmɛːd̪].
Gender Male
Language(s) Arabic
Origin
Meaning Highly praised
Other names
Variant form(s) Achmad, Achmat, Achmed, Achmet, Ahmat, Ahmet

Ahmad or Ahmed are the principal transliterations of the Arabic given name, Arabic: أحمد‎ ʾaḥmad. The name comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root of Ḥ-M-D, meaning "highly praised", implying "one who constantly thanks God".

Contents

Etymology

One of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's many names is Ahmed, the name "Muhammad" pre-dating "Ahmed". The context by which "Ahmed" is referred to as "praised" can at times be mistaken. This has to do with the fact that since the prophet Muhammad was so highly regarded in Islam that the name "Ahmed" has come to mean "highly praised".

The name has its origins in a prophecy from Jesus Christ, mentioned once in the Quran in Surah 61: The Ranks.

61:6 And [this happened, too,] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O children of Israel! Behold, I am an apostle of God unto you, [sent] to confirm the truth of whatever there still remains of the Torah, and to give [you] the glad tiding of an apostle who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed." But when he [whose coming Jesus had foretold] came unto them with all evidence of the truth, they said: "This [alleged message of his] is [nothing but] spellbinding eloquence!"

Transliterations

Ahmad is the most elementary transliteration. It is used commonly all over the Muslim world, although primarily in the Middle East. More recently, this transliteration has become increasing popular in the United States due to use by members of the African American community.

Ahmed is the most common variant transliteration, used especially in the context of the Ottoman Empire. This transliteration is also used throughout the Muslim world.

Ahmet is the modern Turkish transliteration. Modern Turkish uses a Latin-based alphabet, and most Arabic-derived names have standardized Turkish spellings.

The less common transliterations of Ahmad are used by Muslims outside the Middle East proper, such as in Indonesia and Russia.

Some Muslims who have the first name of Ahmad, prefer to use their second name instead of "Ahmad" as it is such a common name.

Given name

Ahmad

Ahmed

Ahmet

Other spellings

Surname

Fictional characters