Head to head · Boys' names
Gregory vs Mohammed
#593 vs #595 in 2025
Gregory is a whisker ahead (#593 vs #595 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Gregory is stepping back from its peak, Mohammed is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Mohammed has the edge.
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, Gregory leads 5 measures of 6; Mohammed 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
- 1880s: Gregory #895, Mohammed — — Gregory higher
- 1890s: Gregory #680, Mohammed — — Gregory higher
- 1900s: Gregory #604, Mohammed — — Gregory higher
- 1910s: Gregory #479, Mohammed — — Gregory higher
- 1920s: Gregory #405, Mohammed #4002 — Gregory higher
- 1930s: Gregory #288, Mohammed #2719 — Gregory higher
- 1940s: Gregory #110, Mohammed #3339 — Gregory higher
- 1950s: Gregory #24, Mohammed #3481 — Gregory higher
- 1960s: Gregory #23, Mohammed #2842 — Gregory higher
- 1970s: Gregory #32, Mohammed #1475 — Gregory higher
- 1980s: Gregory #45, Mohammed #771 — Gregory higher
- 1990s: Gregory #82, Mohammed #600 — Gregory higher
- 2000s: Gregory #196, Mohammed #602 — Gregory higher
- 2010s: Gregory #332, Mohammed #574 — Gregory higher
- 2020s: Gregory #513, Mohammed #644 — Gregory higher
Gregory stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Gregory | Mohammed |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #895 | — |
| 1890s | #680 | — |
| 1900s | #604 | — |
| 1910s | #479 | — |
| 1920s | #405 | #4002 |
| 1930s | #288 | #2719 |
| 1940s | #110 | #3339 |
| 1950s | #24 | #3481 |
| 1960s | #23 | #2842 |
| 1970s | #32 | #1475 |
| 1980s | #45 | #771 |
| 1990s | #82 | #600 |
| 2000s | #196 | #602 |
| 2010s | #332 | #574 |
| 2020s | #513 | #644 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Gregory
Not charting outside the US.
Mohammed
- England & Wales#21
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Gregory
watchful
The Greek verb means to be awake or alert, and the name was a Christian one from the start — a instruction rather than a description, taken from the injunction to stay awake.
Gregorios → Gregorius → Gregory
How it traveled
Gregory the Great sent Augustine and a party of monks to England at the end of the sixth century, gave them detailed and unusually practical instructions about not destroying the local temples but reusing them, and corresponded with them at length afterwards. The mission worked.
Mohammed
praised, praiseworthy
From the Arabic root ḥ-m-d, 'to praise'. The same root gives Ahmad, Mahmud and Hamid, which are separate names rather than variants of this one.
Muḥammad (Arabic) → Muhammad → Mohammed
How it traveled
The name is Arabic, and its history in the world begins with Muhammad ibn Abdullah, born in Mecca in the sixth century, the Prophet of Islam. After him the name traveled wherever Islam did — across North Africa, into Persia and Central Asia, through South and Southeast Asia, up into the Balkans and West Africa — and each language reshaped it a little: Mehmet in Turkish, Muhamed in Bosnian, Maxamed in Somali, Muhammadu in Hausa.
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
Gregory
GREG-ur-ee
Three syllables with the weight at the front. Italian and Spanish give it four with the stress on the third.
- Greg — The standard short form; used in speech far more than the full name.
- Gregg — The doubled spelling of the same short form; a standing name of its own.
- Grisha — The Russian everyday form, used in Russian-speaking families.
Mohammed
mo-HAM-med
Common American pronunciation. In Arabic it is closer to moo-HAM-mad, with the doubled m held slightly and a fuller vowel in the last syllable. Both are heard in the same family without anyone minding.
- Mo — The everyday short form in English-speaking countries; also used as a standalone name and a nickname for Moses, Maurice and Monica.
- Moe — The same short form with an American spelling, more common in older records.
- Momo — Informal, mostly family and childhood use; heard in French- and Arabic-speaking communities.
- Hamada — An Egyptian familiar form, used affectionately within family rather than in formal settings.
- Also Mido.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Gregory if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsGregory is stepping back from its peak
- a long American recordGregory was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Mohammed if you want…
- a name on the way upup 46 places on the charts in five years
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Mo, Moe and Momo
- a name that charts abroad tooMohammed is on the national lists of England & Wales
- a newer arrivalMohammed entered the US charts in 1922
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
Gregory
Strengths
- It has a form in every European language, eastern and western alike.
- Greg is one of the most established short forms in English.
- The meaning is short, positive and easy to explain.
To consider
- It is strongly associated with the middle of the twentieth century in America.
- Gregory and Gregorio will both be offered in bilingual settings.
- The spelling is recorded for a small number of girls, though it reads overwhelmingly as a boy's name.
Mohammed
Strengths
- Recognized on sight almost anywhere in the world — few names cross as many languages, alphabets and borders intact.
- Mo is an established short form with generations of use behind it, and it also stands alone.
- Fourteen centuries of continuous use, with no gap and no revival needed.
To consider
- Several English spellings compete: Muhammad, Mohamed, Mohammad, Muhammed. Whichever you choose, expect to spell it out at the doctor's office, and expect any single spelling's statistics to understate how common the name really is.
- It is the Prophet's name, and in Muslim families that carries real reverence — a consideration for religious and non-religious households alike. It is also a name that occasionally meets prejudice in the US, which is worth naming plainly rather than discovering later.
- Because it is given so widely in some communities, many boys go by a middle or second name day to day. That can be an advantage or an extra thing to explain, depending on the family.
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 Gregory and Mohammed 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 Gregory and Mohammed?
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.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
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
- Classics hiding in plain sight
- Midcentury modern: tomorrow's comeback bets
- Baby Boomer names (born 1946–1964)
- Generation X names (born 1965–1980)
- all guides
Where Gregory and Mohammed each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Gregory or Mohammed — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Gregory or Mohammed?
- Gregory, in 2025: Gregory ranked #593 with 493 babies; Mohammed ranked #595 with 486 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Gregory or Mohammed?
- Mohammed. Over the last five years Gregory moved down 159 places; Mohammed moved up 46 places.
- Which is the older name, Gregory or Mohammed?
- Gregory was already in use when US records began in 1880; Mohammed entered the US charts in 1922. On the American record, Gregory is the older name.
- How many people are named Gregory and Mohammed?
- About 586,000 people named Gregory are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 16,000 people named Mohammed are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Gregorys or Mohammeds in the classroom?
- Gregory will almost certainly be the only one in school. Mohammed 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
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Gregory, Mohammed and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap