Muhammad (name)

Muhammad
Pronunciation English: /moʊˈhæməd/, /moʊˈhɑːməd/, /muːˈhæməd/, /muːˈhɑːməd/, [1] /moʊˈhæmɛd/, /moʊˈhɑːmɛd/, /moʊˈhɑːmɨd/.
Arabic: [mʊˈħæmmæd], [moˈħæmmæd].
Egyptian Arabic: [mæˈħæmmæd].
Turkish: [muˈhammed].
Hindustani: [mʊˈhaːmməd].
Gender Male
Origin
Word/Name Arabic language
Meaning Praised
Region of origin Middle East
Other names
Alternative spelling Mohamad, Mohamed, Mohammad, Mohammed, Muhamad, Muhamed, Muhamet, Muhammed, Muhammet, Mahammad

Muhammad is the primary transliteration of the Arabic given name, مُحَمَّد‎, from the triconsonantal root of Ḥ-M-D; Praise. In Islam, Muhammad was the final messenger of God, thus the name and its variant transliterations are very common throughout the Muslim world.

Contents

Etymology

The name Muḥammad is the strictest and primary transliteration of the Arabic given name, محمد, that comes from the Arabic passive participle and triconsonantal root of Ḥ-M-D (Praise); hence Praised. However, its actual pronunciation differs colloquially, for example, in Egyptian Arabic: IPA: [mæˈħæmmæd], while in exclusively religious contexts, talking about Islam: IPA: [moˈħæmmæd].

Other Arabic names from the same root include Mahmud, Ahmed, and Hamid; which is one of the 99 Names of Allah, meaning The Blesser.

Transliterations

Principal

The name is also transliterated as Mohammad (primarily in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan), Muhammad (in Bangladesh and India, Muhammed (Arab World, primarily in North Africa), Mohamed, Mohammed and Mohamad (Arab World), Muhammad (Arab World), Muhammed, Muhamed (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Muhammed, Muhamed, Muhammet, or Muhamet (Turkey and Albania).

Other

In Latin, it is Mahometus (hence Italian Maometto) and Μωάμεθ (Moameth) in Greek. In Catalan and in Spanish, it is Mahoma, and in Galician it is Mamede. In Russia, it is Мухаммад (Mukhammad), another common spelling is Магомед (Magomed). In Somali, it is Maxamed. In Senegal and in other West African nations, the variant is Mamadou. In Kazakh, the name is Мұхаммед (Mukhammed). In Chinese, it is written as 穆罕默德 (Mùhǎnmòdé).

Statistics

Year Rank in USA[2] Rank in UK[2] Rank in Canada
2010  
2009  
2006 639  
2004 681 54 c. 92[3]
2003 648 59  
2002 655 61  
2001 587 72  
2000 622 71  
1999 701 90  
1998 725 91  
1997 719    
1996 774    
1995 778    
1994 862    
1993 883    
1992 903    

According to the sixth edition of The Columbia Encyclopedia (2000), Muhammad is the most common given name in the world, including variations.[4] It is estimated that more than 150 million men and boys in the world bear the name Muhammad.

Muhammad is ranked 4,194 out of 88,799 for people of all ages in the 1990 census in the United States.[2][3] According to the Social Security Administration, Muhammad is 639th popular first name for newborns in 2006. Mohammad and Mohammed are ranked 589th and 633rd, respectively.[5] In 2009 Mohamed, the most common spelling variant, was ranked 430th in the US.[6]

The BBC reported that Muhammad was the second most popular given name for baby boys in Britain in 2007, combining 14 spelling variations.[7]

In May 2006, it was reported that statistics indicate that some 8,928 Danish Muslims carry the name Muhammad and that in 2004 alone, 167 new-born babies were registered.[8]

In 2009 Mohammed was the sixteenth most popular baby name in England and Wales, though it was the most popular in the West Midlands.[9]

Mohammed and Mohamed were the first most popular baby name in Département Seine-Saint-Denis (2002, 2008) and in Marseilles (2007, 2009), France.[10][11][12]

Some men who have the first name of Muhammad (or one of its variant spellings) choose to not use it as a given name, as it is such a perennially common name. Instead they may use another given name. For example, Anwar Sadat, Hosni Mubarak, Zia-ul-Haq, and Ayub Khan use their second given name.

Given name

Mohamad

Mohamed

Mohammad

Mohammed

Muhamad

Muhamed

Muhammad

Muhammed

Muhammet

Surname

Patronymics

Derived names

See also

References

  1. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition
  2. ^ a b c Unless otherwise noted, figures are from http://www.name-stats.com/search.php?subject=Muhammad&submit=Search. They don't include different forms of spelling except for 2009 and 2010 for the UK.
  3. ^ a b Baby Name Muhammad - Origin and Meaning of Muhammad
  4. ^ Muhammad, prophet of Islam. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07
  5. ^ Popular baby names
  6. ^ http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi; searched for Mohamed
  7. ^ What can't be named Muhammad?
  8. ^ JTW News - "Muhammad" Most Popular Among Danish Muslims
  9. ^ BBC News. "Oliver and Oliva top names' list." BBC. October 27, 2010. Retrieved on October 29, 2010.
  10. ^ http://www.insee.fr/fr/insee_regions/idf/themes/faits_et_chiffres/fc/numero27.pdf
  11. ^ http://www.laprovence.com/article/region/les-parents-marseillais-ont-craque-pour-ines-et-mohamed
  12. ^ http://www.notrefamille.com/v2/services-prenom/prenom.asp

External links