Mustafa
Mustafa is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in Muslim-majority countries.
- Arabic
- Turkish
- Azerbaijani
- Bosnian
Meaning & Origin of Mustafa
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Mustafa is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in Muslim-majority countries.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Arabic
- Turkish
- Azerbaijani
- Bosnian
- Urdu
- Indonesian
- Malay
- Kazakh
The Story of Mustafa
The earliest SSA record of Mustafa as a baby boy name dates back to 1963, when 8 babies received it. 2026 was its biggest year on record, with 321 newborns named Mustafa — #796 in the national rankings. About 29% of every Mustafa on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Mustafa ranks #796 for baby boys with 321 births, rising sharply (+29% over the past five years). All told, over 8K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Mustafa
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Mustafa. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Mustafa
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mustafa 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 Mustafa
What does the name Mustafa mean?
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How popular is Mustafa in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Mustafa most popular?
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About the name Mustafa
Mustafa is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1963 and has accumulated 8K births in the dataset. Mustafa's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #796. Use the chart and map above to compare Mustafa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2026 →
- 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.