NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Mehmet

A Turkish masculine name derived from the Arabic name Muhammad, meaning "praised, commended".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Mehmet is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Mehmet popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #898, with 35 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 63 births.

This profile covers 1,105 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 56% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,103 living people in the UK are called Mehmet. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Mehmet ranked #898 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 35 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2004, when 63 boys were registered as Mehmet.
  • Mehmet ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #626 in 2009.
  • About 1,103 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mehmet as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#898

2024

Births in 2024

35

Latest year

Peak year

2004

63 births

Estimated living

1,103

2026

Meaning

What does Mehmet mean?

The name Mehmet is a Turkish name derived from the Arabic name Muhammad, which means "praised" or "praiseworthy." This name has its origins in the 7th century AD and is associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The name Muhammad was initially used among the early Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula and later spread to other regions as Islam expanded. The Turkish variant, Mehmet, emerged as the name was adopted and adapted by the Turkish-speaking populations of Anatolia and the Ottoman Empire.

Mehmet was a common name among Ottoman sultans and other notable figures in Turkish history. One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Mehmet dates back to the 14th century, with Mehmet I, who ruled as the Ottoman Sultan from 1413 to 1421.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mehmet. One of the most famous was Mehmet II, also known as Mehmet the Conqueror (1432-1481), who conquered Constantinople in 1453 and transformed the city into the capital of the Ottoman Empire, renaming it Istanbul.

Another prominent figure with the name Mehmet was Mehmet Ali Pasha (1769-1849), an Ottoman governor and the de facto ruler of Egypt, who established the Khedivate of Egypt and implemented significant reforms in the region.

In the literary realm, Mehmet Akif Ersoy (1873-1936), a Turkish poet and academic, is renowned for writing the Turkish national anthem and for his influential work, "The Mosque of Samarkand."

Mehmet Emin Resulzade (1884-1955) was an Azerbaijani philosopher, writer, and political leader who played a significant role in the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918.

Mehmet Münir Ertegün (1891-1944), a Turkish diplomat and statesman, served as the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1944 to 1946 and made notable contributions to Turkey's foreign policy during World War II.

The name Mehmet has a rich historical legacy, originating from the Arabic name Muhammad and adapting to Turkish culture and language over centuries. Its use has been prominent among influential figures in Turkish and Islamic history, spanning rulers, writers, philosophers, and statesmen.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Mehmet over time

The chart below shows babies named Mehmet registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Mehmet, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 35 births in 2024, compared with 63 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Mehmet
016324763199620102024

Decades

Mehmet by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mehmet was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #924 167 5
2010s #812 385 10
2000s #632 401 10
1990s #501 152 4

Geography

Where Mehmet is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mehmet. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Mehmet ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #626 in 2009.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Mehmet in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#626 in 2009

2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Mehmet

  • Mehmet Aksoy

    filmmaker

    Turkish-British film director (1985–2017)

    1985-2017

  • Mehmet Hüsnü

    snooker player

    Turkish-Cypriot snooker player (born 1972)

    1972-

  • Mehmet Şimşek

    politician

    Turkish economist and statesperson (born 1967)

    1967-

  • Mehmet Hasgüler

    journalist

    Turkish journalist (born 1965)

    1965-

  • Mehmet Yeşil

    mathematician

    Turkish academic

Related

Names similar to Mehmet

FAQ

Mehmet: questions and answers

How popular is the name Mehmet in the UK right now?

In 2024, Mehmet was ranked #898 for boys in England and Wales, with 35 births registered.

When was Mehmet most popular?

The peak year on record was 2004, with 63 babies registered as Mehmet in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Mehmet?

A Turkish masculine name derived from the Arabic name Muhammad, meaning "praised, commended".

How many people are called Mehmet in the UK?

A total of 1,105 babies have been registered as Mehmet across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.

Where is Mehmet most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Mehmet ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #626 in 2009. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.