Head to head · Boys' names
Deacon vs Mohammad
#561 vs #561 in 2025
Deacon and Mohammad share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#561). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Mohammad leads 3 measures of 6; Deacon leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1960s: Deacon —, Mohammad #3470 — Mohammad higher
- 1970s: Deacon #3208, Mohammad #1540 — Mohammad higher
- 1980s: Deacon #4767, Mohammad #704 — Mohammad higher
- 1990s: Deacon #5161, Mohammad #542 — Mohammad higher
- 2000s: Deacon #929, Mohammad #583 — Mohammad higher
- 2010s: Deacon #529, Mohammad #591 — Deacon higher
- 2020s: Deacon #526, Mohammad #603 — Deacon higher
Mohammad stood higher in 5 of 7 decades; Deacon has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Deacon | Mohammad |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s | — | #3470 |
| 1970s | #3208 | #1540 |
| 1980s | #4767 | #704 |
| 1990s | #5161 | #542 |
| 2000s | #929 | #583 |
| 2010s | #529 | #591 |
| 2020s | #526 | #603 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Deacon
Not charting outside the US.
Mohammad
- England & Wales#53
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Deacon
servant, attendant, messenger
From Greek diakonos, the word behind the church office of deacon.
Diakonos → Diaconus → Dēacon → Deacon (surname) → Deacon
How it traveled
The Greek diakonos meant a servant or messenger, and the Greek New Testament uses it for an office of service in the early Christian communities; Paul's letters address deacons directly. Latin took it as diaconus, and from there it entered Old English as dēacon, giving English both the church title and a surname — borne by families whose ancestor served as a deacon or worked in a deacon's household.
Mohammad
praised, praiseworthy
It is the passive participle of the Arabic verb ḥammada, "to praise" — literally one who is praised or worthy of praise. The same root sits under Ahmad, Mahmud and Hamid.
Arabic root ḥ-m-d ("praise") → Muḥammad → Mohammad
How it traveled
The name is Arabic, from the root ḥ-m-d, and was borne by the Prophet of Islam, born in Mecca in the sixth century. With the spread of Islam it traveled across North Africa, Anatolia, Persia, South Asia, the Balkans and the Indonesian archipelago, becoming the most widely given name across much of the world.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Deacon
DEE-kən
Stress on the first syllable, exactly as the ordinary English word is said. Little room for disagreement.
- Deke — The usual short form; also used on its own as a nickname unrelated to Deacon, so it reads independently.
- Deac — Informal clipping, most often spoken rather than written.
- D — Casual initial, common among friends and teammates.
Mohammad
moh-HAM-mad
Closer to the Arabic, the doubled m is held for a beat: moh-HAM-mad. In American English you will also hear moh-HAH-med and a flatter MOH-uh-mad. All three are in ordinary use among bearers.
- Mo — The usual informal short form in English-speaking countries; also stands alone as a given name and as a short form of Maurice, Morris and Moses.
- Moe — Same short form, spelled to look phonetic in English; common in North American use.
- Md. — Not a nickname but a written abbreviation, widely used in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India in front of a second given name on documents.
- Hamada — A familiar diminutive used in Egypt and parts of the Levant, within the family rather than in formal settings.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Deacon if you want…
- a name holding steadyDeacon is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesDeacon is 2 syllables to Mohammad's 3
Choose Mohammad if you want…
- a name on the way upup 102 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itMohammad runs 3 syllables, Deacon 2
- a name that charts abroad tooMohammad is on the national lists of England & Wales
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Deacon
Strengths
- Spelled the way an existing English word is spelled, so most Americans read it correctly on the first try and write it without asking.
- Two syllables with the stress up front — easy to call across a yard, easy for a small child to say.
- An established short form in Deke, ready-made rather than invented.
To consider
- Deacon is still a live church title in many Christian denominations, so the name carries an audible echo of an office. Some families like that; others find introductions come with a joke attached.
- Almost every Deacon on record is young. There is no long American history behind the name, so it reads as a name of this era rather than a family one.
- Being the only one in the room cuts both ways: teachers will remember him, and he will never have the small comfort of hearing his name already known when he says it.
Mohammad
Strengths
- Recognized in nearly every country on earth, so it almost never needs explaining or justifying as a name.
- An unbroken written record since the seventh century, and continuous use in dozens of languages since.
- Mo and Moe are long-established English short forms, ready-made for informal settings.
To consider
- The romanisations compete: Muhammad, Mohammed, Mohamed and Mohammad are all correct, which means a lifetime of spelling it out and of forms coming back with the wrong vowel or a single m.
- It is the name of the Prophet of Islam and carries that weight. In many families it is given first and a second name is used day to day, out of respect — worth deciding early how you want it spoken at home and at school.
- The name identifies its bearer as Muslim anywhere in the world. Most families count that as the point; some also weigh how it lands in particular American settings, and that is a fair thing to talk through.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Deacon and Mohammad in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Deacon and Mohammad?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Occupation names: little masons and archers
- Vintage names making a comeback
- British invasion: UK favorites still rare in the US
- Eight-letter names with presence
- all guides
Where Deacon and Mohammad each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Deacon or Mohammad — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Deacon or Mohammad?
- They tie in 2025: Deacon ranked #561 with 529 babies; Mohammad ranked #561 with 529 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Deacon or Mohammad?
- Mohammad. Over the last five years Deacon moved down 45 places; Mohammad moved up 102 places.
- Which is the older name, Deacon or Mohammad?
- Deacon entered the US charts in 1971; Mohammad entered the US charts in 1964. On the American record, Mohammad is the older name.
- How many people are named Deacon and Mohammad?
- About 11,500 people named Deacon are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 17,000 people named Mohammad are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Deacons or Mohammads in the classroom?
- Deacon will almost certainly be the only one in school. Mohammad will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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