Ahmed
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- AH-med
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #179 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #703 for boys
Ahmed is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “most praiseworthy”. In 2025 it ranked 179th for boys in the UK (320 babies) and 703rd for boys in the US (382 babies).
What does Ahmed mean?
Arabic: spelling of Ahmad
“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 Ahmed a girl's or a boy's name?
Ahmed is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 320 boys in the UK and 382 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ahmed in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #179among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 320about 1 in 940 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 11% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.5%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 320 boys in the UK were named Ahmed, making it the 179th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 215th. Its busiest year was 2012, with 385 boys.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had more boys named Ahmed than any year since 2017.
Half of all the boys named Ahmed in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2018. 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 Ahmed or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #114, up from #179 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 168th in England and Wales, 269th in Scotland and 270th in Northern Ireland.
Ahmed in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 320 | #179 |
| 2024 | 305 | #184 |
| 2023 | 269 | #206 |
| 2022 | 250 | #223 |
| 2021 | 265 | #219 |
| 2020 | 259 | #215 |
| 2019 | 255 | #232 |
| 2018 | 295 | #201 |
| 2017 | 338 | #181 |
| 2016 | 354 | #184 |
| 2015 | 326 | #197 |
| 2014 | 318 | #206 |
| 2013 | 353 | #186 |
| 2012 | 385 | #169 |
| 2011 | 330 | #188 |
| 2010 | 349 | #177 |
| 2009 | 349 | #179 |
| 2008 | 364 | #167 |
| 2007 | 337 | #176 |
| 2006 | 311 | #175 |
| 2005 | 306 | #171 |
| 2004 | 284 | #169 |
| 2003 | 310 | #162 |
| 2002 | 263 | #163 |
| 2001 | 236 | #170 |
| 2000 | 188 | #195 |
| 1999 | 206 | #182 |
| 1998 | 190 | #193 |
| 1997 | 179 | #202 |
| 1996 | 214 | #171 |
How popular is Ahmed in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #703among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 382about 1 in 4,500 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 15% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 382 boys in the US were named Ahmed, making it the 703rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 634th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 590 boys. It first appears in the records in 1929.
2025 had fewer boys named Ahmed than any year since 1998.
Half of all the boys named Ahmed in the US since 1880 were born between 1997 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 789 boys in the US were given Ahmed or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #411, up from #703 for this spelling alone.
- Ahmad 407
- Ahmed 382
Ahmed in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 382 | #703 |
| 2024 | 394 | #690 |
| 2023 | 419 | #652 |
| 2022 | 410 | #666 |
| 2021 | 397 | #675 |
| 2020 | 423 | #634 |
| 2019 | 462 | #598 |
| 2018 | 523 | #536 |
| 2017 | 558 | #518 |
| 2016 | 582 | #515 |
| 2015 | 590 | #496 |
| 2014 | 501 | #548 |
| 2013 | 510 | #521 |
| 2012 | 540 | #495 |
| 2011 | 477 | #534 |
| 2010 | 476 | #537 |
| 2009 | 446 | #586 |
| 2008 | 443 | #579 |
| 2007 | 448 | #573 |
| 2006 | 443 | #565 |
| 2005 | 424 | #560 |
| 2004 | 454 | #525 |
| 2003 | 429 | #537 |
| 2002 | 448 | #508 |
| 2001 | 466 | #492 |
| 2000 | 476 | #490 |
| 1999 | 406 | #522 |
| 1998 | 314 | #594 |
| 1997 | 292 | #605 |
| 1996 | 319 | #570 |
| 1995 | 243 | #674 |
| 1994 | 264 | #640 |
| 1993 | 263 | #636 |
| 1992 | 203 | #722 |
| 1991 | 195 | #721 |
| 1990 | 204 | #707 |
| 1989 | 191 | #710 |
| 1988 | 200 | #669 |
| 1987 | 142 | #772 |
| 1986 | 138 | #771 |
| 1985 | 126 | #792 |
| 1984 | 147 | #719 |
| 1983 | 127 | #772 |
| 1982 | 141 | #732 |
| 1981 | 116 | #813 |
| 1980 | 108 | #850 |
| 1979 | 101 | #864 |
| 1978 | 93 | #891 |
| 1977 | 69 | #1,036 |
| 1976 | 74 | #969 |
| 1975 | 61 | #1,065 |
| 1974 | 77 | #923 |
| 1973 | 59 | #1,054 |
| 1972 | 54 | #1,107 |
| 1971 | 47 | #1,199 |
| 1970 | 41 | #1,296 |
| 1969 | 36 | #1,326 |
| 1968 | 30 | #1,427 |
| 1967 | 33 | #1,311 |
| 1966 | 23 | #1,612 |
| 1965 | 20 | #1,773 |
| 1964 | 25 | #1,580 |
| 1963 | 12 | #2,413 |
| 1962 | 12 | #2,363 |
| 1961 | 18 | #1,947 |
| 1960 | 12 | #2,421 |
| 1959 | 9 | #2,820 |
| 1958 | 5 | #3,942 |
| 1957 | 10 | #2,629 |
| 1956 | 8 | #2,967 |
| 1955 | 10 | #2,557 |
| 1954 | 5 | #3,825 |
| 1953 | 6 | #3,423 |
| 1952 | 12 | #2,250 |
| 1951 | 10 | #2,493 |
| 1950 | 5 | #3,678 |
| 1949 | 6 | #3,296 |
| 1948 | 6 | #3,315 |
| 1947 | 8 | #2,861 |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 6 | #3,211 |
| 1941 | 5 | #3,504 |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 8 | #2,628 |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 6 | #3,557 |
Names like Ahmed
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Abdullah Muhammad Mustafa Hamza Amir Musa Zayd Ibrahim Umar Khalid Syed Zayan
Other spellings of Ahmed
Names related to Ahmed
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, “Ahmed: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ahmed, updated 20 October 2026.