Ahmad
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- AH-mad
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #232 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #669 for boys
Ahmad is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “most praiseworthy”. In 2025 it ranked 232nd for boys in the UK (239 babies) and 669th for boys in the US (407 babies).
What does Ahmad mean?
Arabic
“most praiseworthy”
Ahmad is a name of the Prophet Muhammad, used in the Qur'an (61:6) and from the same root as Muhammad.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ahmad a girl's or a boy's name?
Ahmad is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 239 boys in the UK and 407 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ahmad in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 232nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 239 about 1 in 1,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 26% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 239 boys in the UK were named Ahmad, making it the 232nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 304th.
2025 had the most boys named Ahmad of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Ahmad in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2020. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 565 boys in the UK were given Ahmad or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #114, up from #232 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 218th in England and Wales and 333rd in Scotland.
Ahmad in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 239 | #232 |
| 2024 | 230 | #237 |
| 2023 | 191 | #272 |
| 2022 | 191 | #274 |
| 2021 | 193 | #277 |
| 2020 | 171 | #304 |
| 2019 | 178 | #307 |
| 2018 | 174 | #311 |
| 2017 | 170 | #332 |
| 2016 | 198 | #291 |
| 2015 | 200 | #287 |
| 2014 | 179 | #299 |
| 2013 | 173 | #291 |
| 2012 | 147 | #340 |
| 2011 | 148 | #334 |
| 2010 | 171 | #296 |
| 2009 | 174 | #286 |
| 2008 | 154 | #303 |
| 2007 | 128 | #335 |
| 2006 | 121 | #319 |
| 2005 | 129 | #290 |
| 2004 | 115 | #304 |
| 2003 | 93 | #330 |
| 2002 | 102 | #301 |
| 2001 | 89 | #337 |
| 2000 | 65 | #399 |
| 1999 | 60 | #412 |
| 1998 | 49 | #473 |
| 1997 | 55 | #432 |
| 1996 | 62 | #386 |
How popular is Ahmad in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 669th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 407 about 1 in 4,200 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 13% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 407 boys in the US were named Ahmad, making it the 669th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 625th. Its busiest year was 2001, with 662 boys. It first appears in the records in 1950.
Half of all the boys named Ahmad in the US since 1880 were born between 1993 and 2014, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 789 boys in the US were given Ahmad or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #411, up from #669 for this spelling alone.
- Ahmad 407
- Ahmed 382
Ahmad in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 407 | #669 |
| 2024 | 411 | #668 |
| 2023 | 393 | #685 |
| 2022 | 437 | #634 |
| 2021 | 385 | #689 |
| 2020 | 429 | #625 |
| 2019 | 454 | #602 |
| 2018 | 502 | #552 |
| 2017 | 481 | #564 |
| 2016 | 466 | #588 |
| 2015 | 498 | #565 |
| 2014 | 490 | #567 |
| 2013 | 458 | #569 |
| 2012 | 444 | #579 |
| 2011 | 426 | #588 |
| 2010 | 494 | #523 |
| 2009 | 567 | #482 |
| 2008 | 465 | #560 |
| 2007 | 462 | #558 |
| 2006 | 487 | #524 |
| 2005 | 542 | #467 |
| 2004 | 508 | #487 |
| 2003 | 542 | #465 |
| 2002 | 626 | #404 |
| 2001 | 662 | #386 |
| 2000 | 526 | #454 |
| 1999 | 562 | #419 |
| 1998 | 608 | #402 |
| 1997 | 378 | #529 |
| 1996 | 390 | #519 |
| 1995 | 347 | #546 |
| 1994 | 367 | #534 |
| 1993 | 342 | #548 |
| 1992 | 309 | #578 |
| 1991 | 293 | #592 |
| 1990 | 327 | #559 |
| 1989 | 315 | #544 |
| 1988 | 241 | #605 |
| 1987 | 284 | #540 |
| 1986 | 248 | #564 |
| 1985 | 190 | #638 |
| 1984 | 166 | #673 |
| 1983 | 179 | #641 |
| 1982 | 208 | #596 |
| 1981 | 245 | #535 |
| 1980 | 238 | #556 |
| 1979 | 286 | #491 |
| 1978 | 204 | #590 |
| 1977 | 207 | #584 |
| 1976 | 121 | #755 |
| 1975 | 135 | #712 |
| 1974 | 111 | #767 |
| 1973 | 53 | #1,123 |
| 1972 | 58 | #1,060 |
| 1971 | 64 | #1,014 |
| 1970 | 48 | #1,192 |
| 1969 | 26 | #1,604 |
| 1968 | 29 | #1,454 |
| 1967 | 22 | #1,651 |
| 1966 | 16 | #1,962 |
| 1965 | 21 | #1,719 |
| 1964 | 15 | #2,113 |
| 1963 | 13 | #2,299 |
| 1962 | 21 | #1,756 |
| 1961 | 21 | #1,777 |
| 1960 | 21 | #1,771 |
| 1959 | 16 | #2,032 |
| 1958 | 11 | #2,504 |
| 1957 | 6 | #3,550 |
| 1956 | 5 | #3,940 |
| 1955 | 7 | #3,199 |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 7 | #3,142 |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 5 | #3,678 |
Names like Ahmad
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad, Abdullah, Amir, Mustafa, Hamza, Umar, Khalid, Musa, Zayd, Ibrahim, Syed, Zayan
Other spellings of Ahmad
Names related to Ahmad
More Arabic names
Layla, Mohammed, Lyla, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Yahya, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra, Kairo, Safa
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ahmad: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ahmad, updated 20 October 2026.