Muhammad — Name Meaning in Islam

Root: ح-م-د (ḥ-m-d), "to praise". Muḥammad is the passive participle of the intensive form II verb ḥammada, so it does not mean "praised" once but repeatedly and abundantly praised — one whose praiseworthy qualities are so many that praise of him never finishes.

From the same root: ḥamd (praise, as in al-ḥamdu lillāh), Aḥmad (most praiseworthy), Maḥmūd (praised), Ḥamīd (one of the names of Allah, the Praiseworthy), Ḥammād.

Who carried it: the final Prophet ﷺ, born in Makkah in the year 570. The name was rare in Arabia before him; the Qur'an names him directly in four places, including Al Imran 3:144 and Muhammad 47:2.

Spellings: Muhammad, Mohammed, Mohamed, Muhammed, Mehmet (Turkish), Muhammad/Mochamad (Indonesian), Mohammad (Urdu/Persian), محمد.

Pronunciation: mu-ḤAM-mad, with a doubled m and a throaty ḥ — closer to a whispered h pushed from the chest than an English h.

It is the most widely given name on earth, and remains so across every Muslim culture that has ever kept records.