NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Mustafa

An Arabic name meaning "the chosen one" or "the elect".

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.

Mustafa is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Mustafa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #165, with 303 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 303 births.

This profile covers 5,480 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.

Mustafa is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 5,598 living people in the UK are called Mustafa. 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

  • Mustafa ranked #165 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 303 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 303 boys were registered as Mustafa.
  • Mustafa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #227 in 2024.
  • About 5,598 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mustafa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#165

2024

Births in 2024

303

Latest year

Peak year

2024

303 births

Estimated living

5,598

2026

Meaning

What does Mustafa mean?

The name Mustafa is of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "mustafa" which means "the chosen one" or "the elect." It is a name deeply rooted in Islamic tradition and history.

In the Islamic faith, Mustafa is one of the honorific titles bestowed upon the Prophet Muhammad, as he was considered the chosen messenger of God. This name holds immense significance and reverence within the Islamic faith.

The earliest recorded use of the name Mustafa can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad himself. It has been widely adopted by Muslims around the world as a way to honor the Prophet and his teachings.

Throughout history, the name Mustafa has been borne by numerous influential figures, including:

1. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, who played a pivotal role in the Turkish War of Independence and the establishment of modern Turkey.

2. Mustafa al-Nahas (1879-1965), an Egyptian politician and Prime Minister of Egypt, known for his efforts in promoting Egyptian nationalism and independence from British rule.

3. Mustafa Barzani (1903-1979), a Kurdish nationalist leader and the principal founder of the Kurdish Democratic Party in Iraq, who dedicated his life to the pursuit of Kurdish autonomy and self-determination.

4. Mustafa Khalil (1920-2008), an Egyptian-Canadian composer, musician, and ethnomusicologist, renowned for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Arab music.

5. Mustafa Zaidi (1935-2020), a Pakistani jurist and former Chief Justice of Pakistan, known for his efforts in upholding the rule of law and safeguarding the independence of the judiciary.

The name Mustafa has also been mentioned in various Islamic texts and historical records, further solidifying its significance within the Islamic tradition.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Mustafa over time

The chart below shows babies named Mustafa 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 Mustafa, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 303 births in 2024, compared with 303 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Mustafa
076152227303199620102024

Decades

Mustafa by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mustafa 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 #204 1,246 5
2010s #226 2,349 10
2000s #240 1,541 10
1990s #304 344 4

Geography

Where Mustafa is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mustafa. 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.

Mustafa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #227 in 2024.

Scotland
18

Across the UK

Mustafa in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#227 in 2024

23 years of NRS records, 156 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Mustafa

  • Mustafa Al-Bassam

    software engineer

    British computer hacker and co-founder of LulzSec

    1995-

  • Mustafa Tiryaki

    association football player

    Turkish-British association football player (born 1987)

    1987-

  • Mustafa Süleyman

    writer; entrepreneur; university teacher; business executive; academic; founder; researcher; artificial intelligence researcher; AI ethicist

    Turkish-British entrepreneur (born 1984)

    1984-

  • Mustafa Hulusi

    photographer; painter; installation artist; video artist

    British artist (born 1971)

    1971-

Related

Names similar to Mustafa

FAQ

Mustafa: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Mustafa was ranked #165 for boys in England and Wales, with 303 births registered.

When was Mustafa most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 303 babies registered as Mustafa in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Mustafa?

An Arabic name meaning "the chosen one" or "the elect".

How many people are called Mustafa in the UK?

A total of 5,480 babies have been registered as Mustafa across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 156 more in Scotland.

Where is Mustafa most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Mustafa ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #227 in 2024. 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.