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

Mustafa, 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 Mustafa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mustafa in America

Mustafa is the 5875th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mustafa surname appeared 5,873 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Mustafa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mustafa 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 Mustafa

The surname "Mustafa" is derived from the Arabic word "Mustafa", which means "the chosen one". It is a name of Turkish and Islamic origin, tracing its roots back to the 7th century AD.

The name is believed to have originated from the Prophet Muhammad's honorific title, "Al-Mustafa", which was used to refer to him as the "chosen one" or the "elect" of God. It was later adopted as a surname by those who revered the Prophet and sought to honor him.

In the early centuries of Islam, the name "Mustafa" was primarily used as a given name or a title, rather than a surname. The transition to its use as a hereditary surname likely occurred during the Ottoman Empire's reign, particularly in regions with a strong Islamic influence, such as present-day Turkey, the Balkans, and parts of the Middle East.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Mustafa" can be found in the 14th century, with the birth of Mustafa Chelebi, the son of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I (1360-1403). Chelebi was a prominent figure in the Ottoman Empire and played a significant role in the succession struggles following his father's death.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. Atatürk was a revolutionary leader who spearheaded the modernization and secularization of Turkey in the early 20th century.

Other historical figures with the surname "Mustafa" include:

1. Mustafa Reşid Pasha (1800-1858), an influential Ottoman statesman and reformer.
2. Mustafa Barzani (1903-1979), a Kurdish nationalist leader and the founder of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
3. Mustafa Khalil (1920-2007), an Egyptian politician and the 44th Prime Minister of Egypt.
4. Mustafa Kamal (1874-1949), an Indian writer and activist, known for his contributions to the Bengali literary renaissance.
5. Mustafa Zahir (1897-1952), the last King of Afghanistan, who ruled from 1933 to 1973.

The surname "Mustafa" has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout history, particularly in regions with a strong Islamic and Ottoman influence. Examples include Mustafakemalpaşa, a district in Turkey named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and Mustafapaşa, a former town in present-day Bulgaria.

While the surname "Mustafa" has its roots in the Islamic and Ottoman traditions, it has transcended cultural and geographical boundaries, with bearers of the name found in various parts of the world today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mustafa

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

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 Mustafa 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 Mustafa 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 Mustafa was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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