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Mustafa as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Mustafa

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The baby name Mustafa is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced Arabic: /musˈtˤɑfa/; Common English: /mʊsˈtɑːfə/ — approx. 'moos-TAH-fah' or 'muss-TAH-fuh'.

Mustafa is Arabic in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: Arabic: /musˈtˤɑfa/; Common English: /mʊsˈtɑːfə/ — approx. 'moos-TAH-fah' or 'muss-TAH-fuh'

What is the meaning of the name Mustafa ?

The baby name Mustafa is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced Arabic: /musˈtˤɑfa/; Common English: /mʊsˈtɑːfə/ — approx. 'moos-TAH-fah' or 'muss-TAH-fuh'.

Mustafa is Arabic in Origin.

Mustafa is an Arabic male given name from Muṣṭafā (مصطفى), an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad meaning “the chosen one.” It derives from the verb istafā, “to choose/select,” from the root ṣ-f-w, associated with purity and selection. Because of its honorific sense, the name often expresses reverence and blessing in Muslim communities and is sometimes paired with Muhammad as a devotional compound.

Usage spread widely across the Islamic world, especially under the Ottomans - several sultans bore the name, and its prestige endures via figures like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. It remains common in Turkey, the Arab world, Iran, South Asia, and the Balkans. Transliterations and regional variants include Mustafa, Mostafa, Moustafa, Mustapha, Moustapha, and Mustafá; Turkish nicknames include Mus and Musti. Related forms appear in compounds such as Al-Mustafa. The name carries connotations of being divinely selected and morally upright.

Mustafa has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Mustafa

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi Politician · Born 1967 · Iraq Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is an Iraqi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from May 2020 to October 2022. Before his role as Prime Minister, he was the head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, playing a key part in the country's security and intelligence operations.

Mustafa – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
Germany Boys 2025 #1 — 423
TR 0 #2 335,120 19,440
IQ Boys 0 #4 38,934 13,071
IQ 0 #4 807 3,533
SD 0 #7 321 2,130
SD Boys 0 #8 10,588 10,523
AF Boys 0 #9 1,415 3,535
AF 0 #10 105 1,883
BI 0 #12 1 425
BW 0 #19 1 960
LY 0 #19 3,482 12,703
BG Boys 0 #24 816 3,850
JO Boys 0 #25 3,312 7,057
ET Boys 0 #27 1 678
JO 0 #27 158 2,158
TM Boys 0 #28 9 614
KW 0 #34 93 5,216
SA 0 #34 536 10,560
AZ 0 #35 9 706
DJ Boys 0 #35 2 657
TM Girls 0 #35 1 574
QA 0 #37 68 7,011
EG Boys 0 #40 32,152 15,035
GE 0 #40 5 997
MT 0 #42 2 1,767
OM 0 #43 83 6,215
BI Boys 0 #44 1 917
AE 0 #48 146 10,220
AF Girls 0 #49 46 2,402
YE 0 #49 1,032 8,639
CM 0 #55 2 2,592
BG 0 #58 23 1,799
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
AL 0 #61 15 2,372
SA Boys 0 #61 16,835 28,008
SY 0 #61 4,078 11,684
GR Boys 0 #62 398 6,912
PS Boys 0 #62 1,586 10,655
KW Boys 0 #63 2,538 18,755
LU 0 #65 2 2,830
IN 0 #68 4 2,963
EG 0 #69 1,277 6,387
MV Boys 0 #72 8 3,375
Austria Boys 0 #76 1,432 2,180
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
SI 0 #78 3 1,612
AZ Boys 0 #79 56 1,400
GE Boys 0 #81 29 2,055
DK Boys 0 #82 636 7,401
RS 0 #82 3 923
CN 0 #84 3 3,857
IQ Girls 0 #85 971 11,303
Germany Boys 0 #90 6,842 5,697
KZ 0 #90 5 1,452
CY Boys 0 #96 34 3,473
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
AE Boys 0 #104 4,047 22,615
BH 0 #104 780 17,937
QA Boys 0 #108 1,270 18,093
PH 0 #110 1 5,607
KZ Boys 0 #114 266 6,578
GR 0 #116 19 3,911
ID Boys 0 #117 15 4,130
BN Boys 0 #118 16 6,332
NL Boys 0 #120 3,873 5,873
OM Boys 0 #120 2,168 17,948
EC 0 #121 1 2,502
Norway Boys 2025 #122 13 444
EE Boys 0 #122 4 2,087
AL Boys 0 #123 215 5,122
RS Boys 0 #125 30 2,277
Switzerland Boys 2024 #131 7 1,769
MA 0 #134 12,487 20,986
RS Girls 0 #135 3 1,651
PS 0 #145 74 5,692
Belgium Boys 2024 #149 40 401
LT Boys 0 #149 3 2,166
Austria 0 #150 65 850
IL Boys 0 #151 1,066 10,983
BW Boys 0 #152 3 4,685
MT Boys 0 #152 25 4,064
SI Boys 0 #155 55 3,402
HU Boys 0 #157 18 3,954
DK 0 #160 44 5,198
Sweden Boys 2022 #161 22 1,509
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
RU 0 #175 15 3,641
HR 0 #178 4 2,081
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
LU Boys 0 #193 26 4,970
BD 0 #203 25 5,992
Germany 0 #205 295 2,542
BG Girls 0 #208 16 3,559
Canada Boys 2024 #209 100 2,588
PL 0 #210 3 2,600
HR Boys 0 #216 43 3,997
IL 0 #218 57 6,291
RU Boys 0 #220 403 12,621
SD Girls 0 #222 125 7,678
LB 0 #223 728 13,263
Finland Boys 0 #224 242 2,041
AO Boys 0 #225 18 5,568
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
IR 0 #228 4 4,221
GH 0 #232 12 5,396
MO Boys 0 #232 3 5,842
DZ 0 #233 3,213 20,130
JP Boys 0 #239 59 7,909
GR Girls 0 #241 9 6,293
NL 0 #244 154 2,481
EC Boys 0 #245 2 3,322
NG 0 #248 17 5,926
TW Boys 0 #251 6 7,111
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
MY Boys 0 #255 1,820 25,439
CN Boys 0 #265 56 9,639
BD Boys 0 #271 405 10,045
SG 0 #274 9 11,010
CZ Boys 0 #278 27 6,530
IR Boys 0 #281 371 10,162
QA Girls 0 #288 29 15,378
JM Boys 0 #290 4 6,876
PL Boys 0 #290 46 6,459
MY 0 #291 40 12,352
Finland 0 #295 13 830
JO Girls 0 #295 31 7,570
GH Boys 0 #298 49 8,138
Spain Boys 0 #321 1,178 5,610
DK Girls 0 #322 8 7,429
OM Girls 0 #328 69 15,987
KZ Girls 0 #330 3 5,862
France Boys 2021 #333 55 2,865
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
PT Boys 0 #337 31 7,951
Finland Boys 2026 #353 539 3,552
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
MU Boys 0 #366 4 8,477
BD Girls 0 #368 19 8,413
PH Boys 0 #372 12 11,440
NG Boys 0 #377 1,065 16,906
Austria Girls 0 #401 20 1,885
BO 0 #404 5 6,868
UY Boys 0 #410 4 5,922
Spain 0 #414 39 2,326
IT Boys 0 #418 2,493 10,046
CL 0 #432 3 6,867
ZA 0 #433 15 14,421
KW Girls 0 #437 79 19,177
IN Boys 0 #450 709 16,750
TN 0 #466 458 13,765
CR Boys 0 #467 21 10,188
PT Girls 0 #470 2 7,952
PA Boys 0 #471 11 9,305
AR Boys 0 #478 6 7,628
AE Girls 0 #482 72 20,968
RU Girls 0 #487 12 11,913
SA Girls 0 #488 488 25,931
GT Boys 0 #498 2 7,625
PS Girls 0 #506 18 10,981
SG Boys 0 #506 195 17,960
CM Boys 0 #510 41 12,054
HK Boys 0 #513 15 12,905
IR Girls 0 #537 9 8,334
EG Girls 0 #559 466 14,742
CR Girls 0 #570 4 11,342
BO Boys 0 #577 16 9,244
IL Girls 0 #597 21 11,648
IN Girls 0 #598 34 13,121
United States Boys 2024 #603 304 7,044
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
SG Girls 0 #630 3 18,916
CL Boys 0 #640 26 13,390
IT 0 #660 55 4,183
NG Girls 0 #713 74 15,093
Germany Girls 0 #770 69 4,949
BR Boys 0 #780 6 12,213
ZA Boys 0 #797 412 25,619
PE Boys 0 #869 10 14,506
CO Boys 0 #891 30 15,656
NL Girls 0 #910 46 5,933
CL Girls 0 #912 4 14,098
MX Boys 0 #950 33 16,355
Spain Girls 0 #951 33 5,561
MY Girls 0 #961 34 24,821
PE Girls 0 #1,009 2 14,861
ZA Girls 0 #1,124 18 25,928
CO Girls 0 #1,152 1 16,140
IT Girls 0 #1,392 55 9,415

Mustafa is popular in 93 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
France
Canada
Belgium
Flanders, Belgium

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People also ask about Mustafa

Mustafa is predominantly a boy's name.
Mustafa is a 3 syllable name, pronounced Arabic: /musˈtˤɑfa/; Common English: /mʊsˈtɑːfə/ — approx. 'moos-TAH-fah' or 'muss-TAH-fuh'.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Mostafa, Mustapha, Moustafa, Mostapha, Mustafā and Mustafe.
Across languages, Mustafa has these equivalents: Mukhtar (Arabic), Muntakhab (Arabic/Persian).
Yes, very popular — Mustafa ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Mustafa ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Mustafa's popularity is declining. It moved from #114 in 2015 to #122 in 2025 in Norway.
Yes — 1 notable people named Mustafa are in our database, including Mustafa Al-Kadhimi (Politician).