Mohamed
A widespread surname and given name derived from the Arabic personal name Muhammad, meaning “praised” or “worthy of praise.”
The #1,257 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,038 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mohamed is a surname formed from the Arabic personal name Muhammad, the source of many spelling variants across the Muslim world. The name is traditionally explained from the Arabic root ḥ-m-d, with the sense “to praise,” so the underlying meaning is “praised” or “worthy of praise.” As a surname, it usually arose from the use of an ancestor’s given name rather than from a separate occupational or locational term.
History
The surname is common among Muslim communities across North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Horn of Africa, and it also spread widely through migration to Europe and North America. Spelling often varies according to local transliteration practices, colonial-era recordkeeping, and phonetic spelling in Latin script. In English-language records, Mohamed is one of several common spellings alongside Muhammad, Mohammad, and Mohammed.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Mohamed is one of the most globally widespread surnames because it comes from one of the most common personal names in the Muslim world.