Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Muhammad

Muḥammad means “praiseworthy” in Arabic and is one of the most popular male names in the Muslim world which is fast approaching two billion people. Muḥammad ibn-‘Abd-Allāh ibn-‘Abd-al-Muttalib was a 7th century prophet and founder of the Islamic religion – hence the popularity of this name among Muslims. Another famous bearer was Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, a 9th-century Persian mathematician, scientist, and inventor of algebra. We obviously know that Muḥammad is an ϋber-popular name in the Middle East and Northern Africa where Muslims are concentrated; however, the name has also seen success within Western nations as a result of Muslim immigration and expansion (although the spelling of Mohamed is more common in Europe). The traditional spelling of Muhammad sees impressive success in England and Scotland. Due to the lower concentration of Muslims per capita in the United States, Muhammad is not quite as prevalent but it is growing in usage (also thanks to Black Muslims).

All About the Baby Name – Muhammad

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME MUHAMMAD

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME MUHAMMAD

The traditional spelling of Muhammad was first to enter the male naming charts in 1976. Most likely this was spurred on by the Nation of Islam and the Black Muslim movement within the African-American community. In 1964 Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam and had his name changed to Muhammad Ali by the movement’s leader Elijah Muhammad. Today, there are many forms of this name on the American male naming charts: Muhammad, Mohammad, Mohammed and Mohamed. In the United States, Mohamed is currently the most popular spelling of this “praiseworthy” name. The main thrust of influence for the name Muhammad comes from Muslims across this great melting pot of a nation which not only includes African-Americans, but also immigrants from the Arab world and South Asian countries. As the Muslim population grows in the United States, the usage of the name Muhammad increases right along with it. The name carries with it great honor and importance, similar to the Spanish-speaking population’s usage of Jesús.

Quick Facts

ON MUHAMMAD

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Arabic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

422

PRONUNCIATION:

mu-HOM-ed

SIMPLE MEANING:

Praiseworthy

Characteristics

OF MUHAMMAD

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Muhammad

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME MUHAMMAD

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Muhammad

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME MUHAMMAD

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Muhammad


Popular Songs

ON MUHAMMAD

Muhammad Ali
a song by Faithless

Famous People

NAMED MUHAMMAD

Prophet Muhammad (Founder of Islam)
Muhammad Ali (boxing legend)

Children of Famous People

NAMED MUHAMMAD

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Muhammad

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME MUHAMMAD

Muḥammad ibn-‘Abd-Allāh ibn-‘Abd-al-Muttalib was born in Mecca (present day Saudi Arabia) in the latter half of the 6th century. His grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttalib was a prominent leader within Mecca’s most influential tribe overseeing the sacred Ka’bah, a shrine believed to have been erected by the Biblical Abraham and his son Ishmael over two thousand years before Muhammad’s birth. It is also the symbol of the destination of the Mecca pilgrimage. By the time Muhammad was a young boy of eight, he had lost his father, his mother and then his grandfather who had been his guardian. At this point, one of his uncles stepped in to care for the orphan, although the relative did not hold the same high position among his tribesmen. In his twenties, Muhammad married a wealthy widow 15 years his senior; they remained together for over 20 years until her death (and despite polygamy being a common practice in his time, Muhammad married no other woman during his first wife’s lifetime). They had four surviving daughters together (Fatima being the most esteemed). In his late thirties, Muhammad was drawn into contemplative life as he often meditated in a cave on Mount Hira. This is where the angel Gabriel first appeared to him stressing the importance of the Creator, God, and that Muhammad would be His Messenger. At first, he only told his wife and a few people he trusted but eventually the revelations became stronger and more detailed. Similar to Jesus’ beginnings, Muhammad’s first followers were primarily the poor and downtrodden, but eventually his flock grew. His dissenters only served to strengthen his resolve as he continued to preach the oneness of God amidst a pagan culture. Opposition continued to be fierce, and Allah warned Muhammad about an imminent assassination attempt. Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina. Against a hostile backdrop, Islam continued to gain widespread acceptance and belief in its monotheistic message of the equality of brotherhood under one God. The rest is, as they say, history.

Muḥammad ibn-‘Abd-Allāh ibn-‘Abd-al-Muttalib was born in Mecca (present day Saudi Arabia) in the latter half of the 6th century. His grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttalib was a prominent leader within Mecca’s most influential tribe overseeing the sacred Ka’bah, a shrine believed to have been erected by the Biblical Abraham and his son Ishmael over two thousand years before Muhammad’s birth. It is also the symbol of the destination of the Mecca pilgrimage. By the time Muhammad was a young boy of eight, he had lost his father, his mother and then his grandfather who had been his guardian. At this point, one of his uncles stepped in to care for the orphan, although the relative did not hold the same high position among his tribesmen. In his twenties, Muhammad married a wealthy widow 15 years his senior; they remained together for over 20 years until her death (and despite polygamy being a common practice in his time, Muhammad married no other woman during his first wife’s lifetime). They had four surviving daughters together (Fatima being the most esteemed). In his late thirties, Muhammad was drawn into contemplative life as he often meditated in a cave on Mount Hira. This is where the angel Gabriel first appeared to him stressing the importance of the Creator, God, and that Muhammad would be His Messenger. At first, he only told his wife and a few people he trusted but eventually the revelations became stronger and more detailed. Similar to Jesus’ beginnings, Muhammad’s first followers were primarily the poor and downtrodden, but eventually his flock grew. His dissenters only served to strengthen his resolve as he continued to preach the oneness of God amidst a pagan culture. Opposition continued to be fierce, and Allah warned Muhammad about an imminent assassination attempt. Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina. Against a hostile backdrop, Islam continued to gain widespread acceptance and belief in its monotheistic message of the equality of brotherhood under one God. The rest is, as they say, history.

Muḥammad ibn-‘Abd-Allāh ibn-‘Abd-al-Muttalib was born in Mecca (present day Saudi Arabia) in the latter half of the 6th century. His grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttalib was a prominent leader within Mecca’s most influential tribe overseeing the sacred Ka’bah, a shrine believed to have been erected by the Biblical Abraham and his son Ishmael over two thousand years before Muhammad’s birth. It is also the symbol of the destination of the Mecca pilgrimage. By the time Muhammad was a young boy of eight, he had lost his father, his mother and then his grandfather who had been his guardian. At this point, one of his uncles stepped in to care for the orphan, although the relative did not hold the same high position among his tribesmen. In his twenties, Muhammad married a wealthy widow 15 years his senior; they remained together for over 20 years until her death (and despite polygamy being a common practice in his time, Muhammad married no other woman during his first wife’s lifetime). They had four surviving daughters together (Fatima being the most esteemed). In his late thirties, Muhammad was drawn into contemplative life as he often meditated in a cave on Mount Hira. This is where the angel Gabriel first appeared to him stressing the importance of the Creator, God, and that Muhammad would be His Messenger. At first, he only told his wife and a few people he trusted but eventually the revelations became stronger and more detailed. Similar to Jesus’ beginnings, Muhammad’s first followers were primarily the poor and downtrodden, but eventually his flock grew. His dissenters only served to strengthen his resolve as he continued to preach the oneness of God amidst a pagan culture. Opposition continued to be fierce, and Allah warned Muhammad about an imminent assassination attempt. Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina. Against a hostile backdrop, Islam continued to gain widespread acceptance and belief in its monotheistic message of the equality of brotherhood under one God. The rest is, as they say, history.

Muhammad Ali (nee Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) is an American icon, loved by some, hated by others, but hardly ever ignored. Born January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay rose to fame by winning an Olympic Gold Medal for boxing in the 1960 Olympics and went on to even greater acclaim as a three-time World Heavyweight champion, making the game glamorous to a much wider audience than usual in the early to mid sixties. A handsome man, a powerful fighter, and a lyrical wit, he reached the masses with his good looks and quotable charm. Converting to Islam in 1964, after having been recruited by Malcolm X, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was subsequently stripped of his title when he refused to fight in Vietnam, famously asserting: “I ain’t got no fight with them Viet Cong…” His conviction as a draft dodger was later overturned. Operating under the assertion that in the ring he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, Muhammad Ali maintained the title over such luminaries as Archie Moore, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Ken Norton and Joe Frazier. He was forced into retirement after the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. In his later years, Muhammad Ali has been a kind of elder statesman, giving time and money to various charities and causes. President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. His life story was made into a very successful movie called Ali in 2001, starring Will Smith, who was nominated for an Oscar for the role. Married four times, he is the father of nine children.

Muhammad Ali (nee Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) is an American icon, loved by some, hated by others, but hardly ever ignored. Born January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay rose to fame by winning an Olympic Gold Medal for boxing in the 1960 Olympics and went on to even greater acclaim as a three-time World Heavyweight champion, making the game glamorous to a much wider audience than usual in the early to mid sixties. A handsome man, a powerful fighter, and a lyrical wit, he reached the masses with his good looks and quotable charm. Converting to Islam in 1964, after having been recruited by Malcolm X, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was subsequently stripped of his title when he refused to fight in Vietnam, famously asserting: “I ain’t got no fight with them Viet Cong…” His conviction as a draft dodger was later overturned. Operating under the assertion that in the ring he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, Muhammad Ali maintained the title over such luminaries as Archie Moore, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Ken Norton and Joe Frazier. He was forced into retirement after the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. In his later years, Muhammad Ali has been a kind of elder statesman, giving time and money to various charities and causes. President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. His life story was made into a very successful movie called Ali in 2001, starring Will Smith, who was nominated for an Oscar for the role. Married four times, he is the father of nine children.

Muhammad Ali (nee Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) is an American icon, loved by some, hated by others, but hardly ever ignored. Born January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay rose to fame by winning an Olympic Gold Medal for boxing in the 1960 Olympics and went on to even greater acclaim as a three-time World Heavyweight champion, making the game glamorous to a much wider audience than usual in the early to mid sixties. A handsome man, a powerful fighter, and a lyrical wit, he reached the masses with his good looks and quotable charm. Converting to Islam in 1964, after having been recruited by Malcolm X, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was subsequently stripped of his title when he refused to fight in Vietnam, famously asserting: “I ain’t got no fight with them Viet Cong…” His conviction as a draft dodger was later overturned. Operating under the assertion that in the ring he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, Muhammad Ali maintained the title over such luminaries as Archie Moore, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Ken Norton and Joe Frazier. He was forced into retirement after the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. In his later years, Muhammad Ali has been a kind of elder statesman, giving time and money to various charities and causes. President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. His life story was made into a very successful movie called Ali in 2001, starring Will Smith, who was nominated for an Oscar for the role. Married four times, he is the father of nine children.

Muhammad Ali (nee Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) is an American icon, loved by some, hated by others, but hardly ever ignored. Born January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay rose to fame by winning an Olympic Gold Medal for boxing in the 1960 Olympics and went on to even greater acclaim as a three-time World Heavyweight champion, making the game glamorous to a much wider audience than usual in the early to mid sixties. A handsome man, a powerful fighter, and a lyrical wit, he reached the masses with his good looks and quotable charm. Converting to Islam in 1964, after having been recruited by Malcolm X, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was subsequently stripped of his title when he refused to fight in Vietnam, famously asserting: “I ain’t got no fight with them Viet Cong…” His conviction as a draft dodger was later overturned. Operating under the assertion that in the ring he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, Muhammad Ali maintained the title over such luminaries as Archie Moore, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Ken Norton and Joe Frazier. He was forced into retirement after the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. In his later years, Muhammad Ali has been a kind of elder statesman, giving time and money to various charities and causes. President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. His life story was made into a very successful movie called Ali in 2001, starring Will Smith, who was nominated for an Oscar for the role. Married four times, he is the father of nine children.