Mahad
A masculine Arabic name meaning "guide" or "leader".
Name Census estimates that about 768 living Americans carry the first name Mahad. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mahad today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mahad births was 2017 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mahad. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
768
~ 1 in 446,295 Americans
Peak year
2017
42 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,329
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Mahad: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mahad from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 293 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mahad remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mahad by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mahad during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mahads live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Minnesota, New York, California recorded the most babies named Mahad, while Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mahad
The name Mahad is derived from the Arabic language and has its origins in the Middle East. It is believed to have emerged during the early Islamic period, around the 7th century AD.
Mahad is thought to be a variation or diminutive form of the Arabic name Muhammad, which means "praised" or "praiseworthy". The name Muhammad itself is rooted in the Arabic word "hamd", meaning "praise" or "gratitude".
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Mahad can be found in medieval Arabic literature and historical texts. It is known that there were several scholars and poets from the 9th to 11th centuries who bore this name.
Mahad al-Nahwi, also known as Abu al-Abbas al-Mahadi, was a renowned Arabic grammarian who lived in the 9th century AD (born around 810 AD). He made significant contributions to the study of Arabic grammar and authored several works on the subject.
In the 10th century, Mahad ibn Isa al-Hakim was a prominent Fatimid scholar and physician from Egypt. He is credited with writing several medical treatises and advancing the field of medicine during his time.
Another notable figure with the name Mahad was Mahad ibn Muslim al-Haddad, an Arab poet and philosopher from the 11th century. He was known for his philosophical works and his poetry, which explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
During the medieval period, the name Mahad also appeared in various historical records and chronicles, often associated with scholars, poets, and religious figures from the Arab world.
One of the earliest known examples of the name Mahad in a religious context is Mahad ibn Ali al-Qurashi, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who lived in the 7th century AD. He is mentioned in several Islamic texts and traditions.
In more recent history, Mahad was the name of a prominent Somali religious leader and scholar, Sheikh Mahad Abdulle Hassan (1856-1920), who led a resistance movement against colonial rule in the early 20th century.
While the name Mahad has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has since been adopted and used in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations.
People
Mahad + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mahad as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mahad: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mahad?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 768 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mahad going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 446,295 US residents.
Is Mahad a common name?
We classify Mahad as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 776 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mahad most popular?
The single biggest year for Mahad was 2017, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mahad is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mahad a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mahad in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.