Mahmud
Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name محمود, common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning praise, along with Muhammad.
- Arabic
- Persian
- Pashto
- Uzbek
Meaning & Origin of Mahmud
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name محمود, common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning praise, along with Muhammad.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Arabic
- Persian
- Pashto
- Uzbek
- Kazakh
- Bengali
- Indonesian
- Malay
The Story of Mahmud
The earliest SSA record of Mahmud as a baby boy name dates back to 1980, when 5 babies received it. 2022 was its biggest year on record, with 19 newborns named Mahmud — #5,018 in the national rankings. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 32% of all recorded Mahmuds. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #6,663 among baby boy names with 12 births, rising sharply (+27% over the past five years). In total, more than 263 Mahmuds have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Mahmud
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Mahmud. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Mahmud
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mahmud is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mahmud
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About the name Mahmud
Mahmud is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1980 and has accumulated 263 births in the dataset. Mahmud's peak popularity came in 2022 when it ranked #5,018. Use the chart and map above to compare Mahmud's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2022 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.