Mustafah
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "the chosen one".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Mustafah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mustafah today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mustafah births was 1986 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mustafah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mustafah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mustafah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1986
5 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1986 SSA rank
#7,467
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Mustafah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mustafah 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 Mustafah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mustafah
The given name Mustafah has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic root word 'mustafa', which means 'the chosen one'. The name is believed to have originated in the 7th century during the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
Mustafah is a name that holds significant religious and historical significance in Islam. It was one of the titles given to the Prophet Muhammad, as he was considered to be the chosen messenger of God. The name is mentioned several times in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as well as in various hadith (sayings of the Prophet).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mustafah can be found in the writings of Islamic scholars and historians from the 8th and 9th centuries. These include works by renowned scholars such as Ibn Ishaq and Al-Waqidi, who documented the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Mustafah. One of the most famous is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey. He played a crucial role in the establishment of modern Turkey and is revered as a national hero.
Another prominent figure was Mustafa al-Nahas Pasha (1879-1965), an Egyptian politician and former Prime Minister of Egypt. He played a significant role in Egypt's struggle for independence from British rule.
Mustafa Barzani (1903-1979) was a Kurdish leader and the principal founder of the Kurdish nationalist movement in modern Iraq. He dedicated his life to the pursuit of Kurdish autonomy and self-determination.
Mustafa Zaidi (1770-1828) was an Indian Muslim scholar and poet who made significant contributions to Urdu literature. His works, including the famous poem "Shikwa", are widely studied and celebrated.
Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876-1924) was an Egyptian writer, scholar, and pioneer of the Arab literary renaissance known as the Nahda. His works played a crucial role in reviving and modernizing Arabic literature.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Mustafah. The name has endured over centuries and continues to be widely used in various cultures and regions, particularly in the Muslim world, where it holds deep religious and cultural significance.
People
Mustafah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mustafah 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
Mustafah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mustafah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mustafah 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Mustafah a common name?
We classify Mustafah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mustafah most popular?
The single biggest year for Mustafah was 1986, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mustafah is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mustafah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mustafah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mustafah 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.
Is Mustafah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mustafah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mustafah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Mustafah as a first name?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Mustafah at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.