Modou
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- MOH-doo
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,065 for boys
Modou is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “praised; praiseworthy”. In 2025 it ranked 5,065th for boys in the UK (3 babies).
What does Modou mean?
Arabic: Wolof form of Muhammad
“praised; praiseworthy”
A Wolof form of Muhammad, common in Senegal and The Gambia.
Is Modou a girl's or a boy's name?
Modou is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Modou in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 5,065th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 3 about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 233% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 3 boys in the UK were named Modou, making it the 5,065th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,803rd. Its busiest year was 2007, with 10 boys.
Half of all the boys named Modou in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,974th in England and Wales.
Modou in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,065 |
| 2024 | 5 | #3,772 |
| 2023 | 2 | #6,493 |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,195 |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,188 |
| 2020 | 3 | #4,803 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 5 | #3,655 |
| 2015 | 1 | #6,220 |
| 2014 | 1 | #6,179 |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,008 |
| 2012 | 5 | #3,572 |
| 2011 | 3 | #4,837 |
| 2010 | 5 | #3,478 |
| 2009 | 3 | #4,691 |
| 2008 | 7 | #2,616 |
| 2007 | 10 | #1,987 |
| 2006 | 3 | #4,204 |
| 2005 | 6 | #2,545 |
| 2004 | 5 | #2,691 |
| 2003 | 4 | #2,990 |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 4 | #2,612 |
| 1999 | 4 | #2,513 |
Names like Modou
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Hamza, Muhammad, Ahmed, Abdullah, Mustafa, Musab, Musa, Fahad, Khalid, Zayan, Umar, Mahmoud
More Arabic names
Layla, Mohammed, Lyla, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amir, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Yahya, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra, Kairo
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Modou: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/modou, updated 20 October 2026.