2000
#2,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,499
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.63
Uncommon Last name
Mohamed
An Arabic patronymic surname meaning "son of Mohamed," referring to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,966 Americans carry the last name Mohamed. That puts it at #827 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,298 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mohamed surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mohamed with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
47K
1 in 7,298
Census rank
#827
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,957 bearers of the surname Mohamed in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 827th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohamed, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.7%. The next largest groups are White (21.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mohamed
The surname MOHAMED has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the personal name Muhammad, which means "praised" or "praiseworthy". This name originated in the Arabian Peninsula and is associated with the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, who was born in Mecca in 570 CE.
The earliest recorded use of the surname MOHAMED can be traced back to the medieval period, when it was commonly used by Arabs and those who converted to Islam. In the 7th century CE, the name appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, particularly those related to the spread of Islam across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe.
During the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE), the name MOHAMED gained prominence as many individuals adopted it to honor the Prophet Muhammad. One notable figure from this period was Mohamed Ibn Al-Qasim, a renowned Muslim general who led the conquest of Sindh (present-day Pakistan) in the early 8th century.
As Islam spread to other regions, the surname MOHAMED became more widespread. In the 11th century, the name was recorded in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that individuals with the surname MOHAMED had already settled in England during the Norman period.
During the Golden Age of Islam (8th-13th centuries), several prominent individuals with the surname MOHAMED made significant contributions to various fields, such as science, philosophy, and literature. One notable example is Mohamed Ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi (c. 780-850 CE), a Persian mathematician and astronomer who introduced the concept of algebra and developed new methods for solving equations.
Another famous bearer of the surname MOHAMED was Mohamed Ibn Idris Al-Shafi'i (767-820 CE), an influential Islamic jurist and scholar who established one of the four major schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, known as the Shafi'i school.
In the 12th century, the name MOHAMED appeared in various place names across the Middle East and North Africa, reflecting the influence and spread of Islamic culture. For instance, the city of Mohamed Abdou in Egypt was named after Mohamed Abdou (1849-1905), a renowned Egyptian jurist and philosopher who advocated for religious reform and modernization.
Throughout history, the surname MOHAMED has been associated with many notable figures, including Mohamed Ibn Batuta (1304-1369 CE), a famous Moroccan explorer and traveler who documented his extensive journeys across Africa, Asia, and Europe in his celebrated work, "The Travels of Ibn Batuta".
In more recent times, the surname MOHAMED has been carried by influential individuals such as Mohamed ElBaradei (born 1942), an Egyptian diplomat and former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for his efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mohamed
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohamed, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.7%. The next largest groups are White (21.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mohamed bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mohamed surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.7% · 27,745
- White21.7% · 8,888
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.3% · 2,191
- Two or more races3.5% · 1,446
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 597
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mohamed
Mohamed appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,972
+15,473 bearers (+123.8%)
Per 100,000 9.48
Rank movement Up 1,398 places
2020
#827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,957
+12,985 bearers (+46.4%)
Per 100,000 13.70
Rank movement Up 430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,655 | 12,499 | 4.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,257 | 27,972 | 9.48 | +15,473 bearers (+123.8%) | Up 1,398 places |
| 2020 | #827 | 40,957 | 13.70 | +12,985 bearers (+46.4%) | Up 430 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mohamed surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,257 | #827 | 34.2% |
| Count | 27,972 | 40,957 | 46.4% |
| Per 100K | 9.48 | 13.70 | 44.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mohamed bearers went from 27,972 to 40,957 (+46.4% change). The surname moved up 430 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,257 to #827.
FAQ
Mohamed surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mohamed?
Name Census estimates that about 46,966 living Americans carry the surname Mohamed. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,298 residents.
How common is Mohamed?
Mohamed ranks #827 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,957 people with the surname Mohamed. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,966), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Mohamed.
Has Mohamed become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mohamed went from 27,972 recorded bearers to 40,957. That is an increase of 12,985 (+46.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,257 to #827.
What does the Census say about the background of Mohamed?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohamed, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.7%. The next largest groups are White (21.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mohamed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (27,745 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mohamed appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (67.7%), White (21.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mohamed (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mohamed mean?
An Arabic patronymic surname meaning "son of Mohamed," referring to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mohamed (13.70 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Mohamed?
If you just want to know how many people are called Mohamed, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.