Find out how popular the last name Mohammed is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mohammed.

Mohammed, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mohammed surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mohammed in America

Mohammed is the 2395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mohammed surname appeared 15,132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Mohammed.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mohammed to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mohammed

The surname Mohammed has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the personal name Muhammad. This name is composed of two Arabic words, "hamd" meaning "praise" and "Allah" referring to the Islamic God. The name Muhammad translates to "one who is praised" or "praiseworthy."

The surname Mohammed traces its roots back to the Arabian Peninsula, specifically the regions now known as Saudi Arabia and the surrounding areas. It is believed to have emerged around the 7th century CE, during the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the early spread of Islam.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mohammed can be found in the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, where it refers to the prophet Muhammad himself. Additionally, various historical documents and manuscripts from the early Islamic era, such as the Sirah Rasul Allah (Biography of the Messenger of Allah) by Ibn Ishaq, mention individuals bearing the surname Mohammed.

In the Middle Ages, the surname Mohammed began to spread across the Middle East and North Africa as Islam expanded into these regions. It can be found in various historical records and chronicles from that period, such as the writings of renowned scholars like Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), who was born in Tunis and is considered one of the most influential philosophers and historians of the medieval Islamic world.

One notable individual with the surname Mohammed was Al-Idrisi (1099-1166), a famous Arab geographer, cartographer, and Egyptologist who served at the court of the Norman King Roger II of Sicily. His work, known as the Nuzhat al-Mushtaq (The Pleasure of Him Who Longs to Cross the Horizons), was a pioneering treatise on geography and cartography.

Another prominent figure was Ibn Battuta (1304-1368/1369), a Moroccan explorer and traveler who journeyed across vast regions of the ancient world, including parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. His travelogue, known as the Rihla (The Journey), is a valuable historical record documenting the cultures, customs, and landscapes he encountered during his extensive travels.

The surname Mohammed also appears in various place names across the Arab world, such as Mohammed Bin Zayed City in the United Arab Emirates and Mohammed V University in Morocco, named after King Mohammed V (1909-1961), a prominent figure in the Moroccan struggle for independence from French colonial rule.

Throughout history, the surname Mohammed has been borne by numerous scholars, rulers, poets, and other influential figures across the Islamic world, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural and religious significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mohammed

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mohammed.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mohammed was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mohammed has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mohammed was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mohammed, please contact us.

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