2000
#8,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Mohammad
An Arabic patronymic surname meaning "son of Mohammad," referring to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,935 Americans carry the last name Mohammad. That puts it at #4,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mohammad 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 Mohammad with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,361
Census rank
#4,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,792 bearers of the surname Mohammad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohammad, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Black (9.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mohammad
The surname MOHAMMAD is of Arabic origin and has its roots in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabian Peninsula. It is derived from the Arabic word "Muhammad," which means "praiseworthy" or "praised one." The name gained significance with the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, in the late 6th century CE in Mecca, present-day Saudi Arabia.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname MOHAMMAD can be traced back to the 7th century CE when Islam started spreading across the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. As the religion expanded, many individuals adopted the surname MOHAMMAD as a way to honor the Prophet and express their devotion to the faith.
One of the earliest known historical references to the surname MOHAMMAD can be found in the writings of Ibn Ishaq, a prominent Islamic scholar and biographer of the Prophet Muhammad, who lived in the 8th century CE. His work, "Sirat Rasul Allah" (The Life of the Messenger of God), mentions several companions and followers of the Prophet who bore the surname MOHAMMAD.
In the 9th century CE, the MOHAMMAD surname appeared in various Islamic manuscripts and records, including the works of renowned scholars and historians such as Al-Tabari and Al-Masudi. These documents provide insights into the lives and contributions of individuals with the MOHAMMAD surname during the early Islamic era.
One notable figure in Islamic history who carried the surname MOHAMMAD was Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya Al-Razi, a Persian polymath born in 865 CE and known for his contributions to medicine, philosophy, and alchemy. Another prominent individual was Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, a 9th-century Islamic scholar and theologian from present-day Uzbekistan, whose full name was Abu Abdullah Mohammad ibn Ali al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi.
In the 11th century, the surname MOHAMMAD gained further recognition with the rise of the Seljuk Empire, a Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled over vast territories in Central Asia and the Middle East. One of the most celebrated figures from this era was Nizam al-Mulk, a Persian scholar and vizier (prime minister) whose full name was Abu Ali Hasan ibn Ali Tusi Mohammad.
As Islam spread to other parts of the world, the surname MOHAMMAD traveled with it, becoming prevalent in regions such as South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa. In the Indian subcontinent, for instance, the MOHAMMAD surname can be traced back to the 12th century CE, with notable figures such as Baha-ud-din Zakariya, a Sufi saint and scholar from present-day Pakistan, whose full name was Baha-ud-din Mohammad Zakariya.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mohammad
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohammad, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Black (9.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mohammad 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 Mohammad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander46.8% · 3,646
- White34.9% · 2,720
- Black or African American9.0% · 705
- Two or more races6.0% · 466
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 221
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mohammad
Mohammad 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
#6,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,639
+2,011 bearers (+55.4%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Up 2,298 places
2020
#4,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,792
+2,153 bearers (+38.2%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Up 1,666 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,377 | 3,628 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,079 | 5,639 | 1.91 | +2,011 bearers (+55.4%) | Up 2,298 places |
| 2020 | #4,413 | 7,792 | 2.61 | +2,153 bearers (+38.2%) | Up 1,666 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 Mohammad 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 | #6,079 | #4,413 | 27.4% |
| Count | 5,639 | 7,792 | 38.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 2.61 | 36.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mohammad bearers went from 5,639 to 7,792 (+38.2% change). The surname moved up 1,666 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,079 to #4,413.
FAQ
Mohammad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mohammad?
Name Census estimates that about 8,935 living Americans carry the surname Mohammad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,361 residents.
How common is Mohammad?
Mohammad ranks #4,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,792 people with the surname Mohammad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mohammad.
Has Mohammad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mohammad went from 5,639 recorded bearers to 7,792. That is an increase of 2,153 (+38.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,079 to #4,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Mohammad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohammad, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Black (9.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mohammad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (3,646 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mohammad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (46.8%), White (34.9%), Black (9.0%). 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 Mohammad (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 Mohammad mean?
An Arabic patronymic surname meaning "son of Mohammad," 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 Mohammad (2.61 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 have the surname Mohammad?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.