2000
#2,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,972
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.18
Uncommon Last name
Muhammad
An Arabic surname referring to a person who is praiseworthy, commendable, or highly lauded.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,639 Americans carry the last name Muhammad. That puts it at #1,704 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,500 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muhammad surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Muhammad with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,500
Census rank
#1,704
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,614 bearers of the surname Muhammad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1704th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muhammad, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muhammad
The surname Muhammad originated in the Arab world during the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic root word "hamd," which means "to praise" or "to glorify." The name itself means "praised one" or "one who is praiseworthy."
Muhammad is closely associated with the Islamic faith, as it is the name of the prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca in the late 6th century AD. The prophet's teachings and revelations formed the basis of Islam, and his name became revered among Muslims worldwide.
In the early days of Islam, the name Muhammad was not commonly used as a surname. It was primarily used as a personal name or a title to honor the prophet. However, as Islam spread across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe and Asia, the name gradually became a surname for those who claimed descent from the prophet or wished to associate themselves with his legacy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Muhammad can be found in the writings of Islamic scholars and historians from the 8th and 9th centuries AD. These works often mentioned individuals with the name Muhammad, along with their lineage and geographical origins.
Over time, the surname Muhammad also became associated with certain regions and communities. For example, in parts of the Middle East and North Africa, the name was more prevalent among those with Arab ancestry or Islamic heritage.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Muhammad include:
1. Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (c. 780 - c. 850 AD), a Persian mathematician, astronomer, and geographer, known for his contributions to algebra and algorithms.
2. Muhammad al-Idrisi (c. 1099 - c. 1166 AD), an Arab geographer, cartographer, and Egyptologist, who created one of the most advanced world maps of his time.
3. Muhammad ibn Battuta (1304 - 1368 AD), a Moroccan scholar and explorer, known for his extensive travels across the medieval Islamic world and beyond.
4. Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1703 - 1792 AD), an Arabian religious reformer and founder of the Wahhabi movement, a conservative branch of Sunni Islam.
5. Muhammad Ali (1942 - 2016), an American professional boxer, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, who changed his birth name Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam.
The surname Muhammad has a rich history and cultural significance, deeply rooted in the Islamic faith and the legacy of the prophet Muhammad. Over the centuries, it has been carried by scholars, explorers, religious leaders, and influential figures across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muhammad
Among Census respondents with the surname Muhammad, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Muhammad bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Muhammad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.1% · 15,888
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 1,973
- Two or more races5.5% · 1,143
- White3.9% · 813
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 739
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muhammad
Muhammad appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,076
+5,104 bearers (+36.5%)
Per 100,000 6.47
Rank movement Up 495 places
2020
#1,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,614
+1,538 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 6.90
Rank movement Up 180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,379 | 13,972 | 5.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,884 | 19,076 | 6.47 | +5,104 bearers (+36.5%) | Up 495 places |
| 2020 | #1,704 | 20,614 | 6.90 | +1,538 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 180 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Muhammad surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,884 | #1,704 | 9.6% |
| Count | 19,076 | 20,614 | 8.1% |
| Per 100K | 6.47 | 6.90 | 6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muhammad bearers went from 19,076 to 20,614 (+8.1% change). The surname moved up 180 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,884 to #1,704.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Muhammad
FAQ
Muhammad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muhammad?
Name Census estimates that about 23,639 living Americans carry the surname Muhammad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,500 residents.
How common is Muhammad?
Muhammad ranks #1,704 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,614 people with the surname Muhammad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,639), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Muhammad.
Has Muhammad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muhammad went from 19,076 recorded bearers to 20,614. That is an increase of 1,538 (+8.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,884 to #1,704.
What does the Census say about the background of Muhammad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muhammad, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Muhammad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (15,888 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muhammad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (77.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%), Two or More Races (5.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Muhammad (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Muhammad mean?
An Arabic surname referring to a person who is praiseworthy, commendable, or highly lauded. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Muhammad (6.90 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Muhammad?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.