boys' name ★ peaked 2018

Mahmoud

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,220 Trend → Stable

Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name محمود, common in most parts of the Islamic world.

Rank 2025
#2,220
among boys · ↑80 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
64
named Mahmoud · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 26,689
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2018
91 babies
All-time total
2,739
#2,699 all-time among boys
First recorded
1968
in Social Security records

Mahmoud popularity over time

2,739 babies have been named Mahmoud since 1968, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2018Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s 10 1 – #4,514
1970s 90 9 +800% #2,287
1980s 268 27 +198% #1,738
1990s 661 66 +147% #1,303
2000s 692 69 +5% #1,493
2010s 669 67 -3% #1,719
2020s (to 2025) 349 58 -13% #2,220

Where Mahmoud is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 63 0.04 outside top 500
2027 62 0.04 outside top 500
2028 62 0.04 outside top 500
2029 61 0.04 outside top 500
2030 61 0.04 outside top 500

Where Mahmoud is most popular

Boys named Mahmoud per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.034 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Mahmoud born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New York 38 0.088 +157%
New Jersey 13 0.065 +89%
Ohio 17 0.064 +88%
Michigan 10 0.049 +43%
Illinois 10 0.039 +15%
California 19 0.021 -39%
Texas 7 0.008 -77%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Mahmoud

Mahmoud is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,220 in 2025 with 64 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1968, 2,739 American babies have been named Mahmoud. Its peak came in 2018, when 91 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Mahmoud stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mahmoud?

The median living Mahmoud is about 21 years old; half are between 10 and 30. An estimated 2,700 people named Mahmoud are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Mahmoud year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 64 #2,220
2024 62 #2,300
2023 62 #2,284
2022 60 #2,369
2021 47 #2,716
2020 54 #2,429
2019 66 #2,160
2018 91 #1,719
2017 60 #2,229
2016 60 #2,247
2015 72 #2,010
2014 75 #1,935
2013 68 #2,013
2012 73 #1,955
2011 49 #2,533
2010 55 #2,343
2009 66 #2,087
2008 74 #1,942
2007 59 #2,248
2006 68 #1,984
2005 62 #2,028
2004 56 #2,121
2003 65 #1,832
2002 85 #1,493
2001 78 #1,560
2000 79 #1,533
1995 82 #1,303
1990 50 #1,649
1985 26 #2,157
1980 23 #2,258
1975 8 #4,165
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Mahmoud

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad President of Iran from 2005 to 2013 b. 1956 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas President of Palestine since 2005 b. 1935 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish Palestinian author and poet (1941–2008) Contemporary
  4. 4 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf American basketball player (born 1969) Contemporary
  5. 5 Mahmoud Dahoud Mahmoud Dahoud Footballer (born 1996) Contemporary
  6. 6 Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi Iranian Ayatollah (1948–2018) Contemporary
  7. 7 Mahmoud Taleghani Mahmoud Taleghani Iranian theologian (1911–1979) Contemporary
  8. 8 Mahmoud El Khatib Mahmoud El Khatib Egyptian footballer (born 1954) Contemporary
  9. 9 Mahmoud Jibril Mahmoud Jibril Libyan politician (1952–2020) Contemporary
  10. 10 Mahmoud Eid Footballer (born 1993) Contemporary
  11. 11 Mahmoud Mohammed Taha Mahmoud Mohammed Taha Sudanese religious thinker and leader (1909–1985) Contemporary
  12. 12 Mahmoud El-Gohary Mahmoud El-Gohary Egyptian footballer and coach (1938–2012) Contemporary
  13. 13 Mahmoud Hamdy Mahmoud Hamdy Egyptian footballer (born 1995) Contemporary
  14. 14 Mahmoud Dowlatabadi Mahmoud Dowlatabadi Iranian writer and actor b. 1940 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Mahmoud Shabestari Mahmoud Shabestari Persian Sufi poet (1288–1340) Medieval
  16. 16 Mahmoud Sami el-Baroudi Mahmoud Sami el-Baroudi Prime Minister of Egypt in 1882 1838–1904 · 19th century
  17. 17 Mahmoud Fayad Mahmoud Fayad Egyptian weightlifter (1925–2002) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Mahmoud, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Mahmoud?

The median living Mahmoud is about 21 years old. Half of all living Mahmouds are between 10 and 30 years old.

How many people named Mahmoud are alive today?

An estimated 2,700 people named Mahmoud are alive in the United States, based on 2,739 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Mahmoud mean?

Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name محمود, common in most parts of the Islamic world.

How popular is the name Mahmoud in 2025?

Mahmoud ranked #2,220 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 64 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mahmoud?

2,739 babies have been named Mahmoud in the United States since 1968, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mahmoud most popular?

Mahmoud peaked in 2018, when 91 newborns received the name.

Is Mahmoud a boy or girl name?

Mahmoud is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Mahmoud rising or falling?

Mahmoud has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Mahmoud become more popular?

Mahmoud looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 61 boys named Mahmoud in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Mahmoud?

Well-known people named Mahmoud include Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (politician), Mahmoud Abbas (politician), Mahmoud Darwish (writer).

Names like Mahmoud

Names that sound and feel close to Mahmoud: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Mahmoud with similar names → More names starting with M →