For Americans who grew up around a plethora of "Jennifer's" and "John's", hearing the name Muhammad can be a bit of a surprise. Learning that Muhammad is also the most popular name in the world, is even more surprising. Perhaps it is because the name has a negative connotation in our society. In other parts of the world outside the United States through, Muhammad is a highly popular name.

The name Muhammad is literally translated into "The Blesser", and in some parts of the world may be translated as "the praised one". There are some famous people throughout history with the name, including boxing phenomenon Muhammad Ali, and the name itself is known throughout the world under various spellings.

In Russia, Muhammad is spelled in two variations: Mukhammad, and Magomed, which is primarily used by Muslims in the country. In Somalia the name is spelled as Maxamed, while in China it is traditionally spelled Muhanmode. The Latin spelling of the name is Mahometus, and Greeks spell the name as Moameth. The Albania and Turkey region have several versions of the name Muhammad including Mahommed, Mehmed, Mehmet, and Mahomet.

Muhammad is traditionally found in Iran, as well as other countries where Muslim is the primary religion, or one of the most popular religions. This means that those countries have more spellings of the name than any other area of the world. The spellings of the name in those countries are Mohammad, Mohammed, Mohamad, Mohamed, and Muhammed.

Muhammad Ali was actually born under the name Cassius Clay, but changed his name after converting to the Islam religion. This led to the popularization of the name in the United States, and many families named their children after the famous boxer. However the events of September 11, 2001 severely changed the perception of the name in America. The name now has a level of suspicion surrounding it.

Surprisingly the name is very popular in both Canada, and the United Kingdom, especially in England. In Canada the name is the 92nd most popular name for new born boys, and in England the name is the 54th post popular name for new born boys. In the US the name has steadily grown more popular over the last thirty years. The name reached its highest spot (59) on the list of most popular baby names in the US, but in 2004 the name dropped to number 681 on the list and has yet to recover.

Muhammad and its various spellings, is one of the most popular names throughout the world, though it appears that the name is still suffering in the United States.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Eblin.
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