Head to head · Boys' names
Mohammad vs Porter
#561 vs #560 in 2025
Porter is a whisker ahead (#560 vs #561 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Porter is stepping back from its peak, Mohammad is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, Mohammad 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, Porter leads 5 measures of 6; Mohammad 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: Mohammad —, Porter #337 — Porter higher
- 1890s: Mohammad —, Porter #357 — Porter higher
- 1900s: Mohammad —, Porter #416 — Porter higher
- 1910s: Mohammad —, Porter #508 — Porter higher
- 1920s: Mohammad —, Porter #644 — Porter higher
- 1930s: Mohammad —, Porter #765 — Porter higher
- 1940s: Mohammad —, Porter #892 — Porter higher
- 1950s: Mohammad —, Porter #1088 — Porter higher
- 1960s: Mohammad #3470, Porter #1370 — Porter higher
- 1970s: Mohammad #1540, Porter #2015 — Mohammad higher
- 1980s: Mohammad #704, Porter #2183 — Mohammad higher
- 1990s: Mohammad #542, Porter #1570 — Mohammad higher
- 2000s: Mohammad #583, Porter #601 — Mohammad higher
- 2010s: Mohammad #591, Porter #416 — Porter higher
- 2020s: Mohammad #603, Porter #508 — Porter higher
Porter stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Porter has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Mohammad | Porter |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #337 |
| 1890s | — | #357 |
| 1900s | — | #416 |
| 1910s | — | #508 |
| 1920s | — | #644 |
| 1930s | — | #765 |
| 1940s | — | #892 |
| 1950s | — | #1088 |
| 1960s | #3470 | #1370 |
| 1970s | #1540 | #2015 |
| 1980s | #704 | #2183 |
| 1990s | #542 | #1570 |
| 2000s | #583 | #601 |
| 2010s | #591 | #416 |
| 2020s | #603 | #508 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Mohammad
- England & Wales#53
Porter
Not charting outside the US.
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
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.
Porter
gatekeeper, or one who carries
Two Old French words, both from Latin, fed the same English surname. Portier, from porta 'gate', named the doorkeeper of a castle or monastery. Porteour, from portare 'to carry', named a man who carried loads. Any given family named Porter descends from one or the other, and there is usually no way to tell which.
porta / portare (Latin: gate; to carry) → portier / porteour (Old French) → Porter (English surname) → Porter (given name)
How it traveled
The surname is medieval English, taken from Norman French terms for two ordinary jobs: keeping a gate and carrying goods. Monastic and castle records use it in the doorkeeper sense; town records use it of men who moved cargo by hand.
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
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.
Porter
POR-ter
Said exactly like the everyday English word. Stress on the first syllable; no regional variants to worry about in the US.
- Port — The one short form in real use, and mostly within families; the full name is what gets used day to day.
- P — Initial-only, informal, the kind of thing that comes from teammates rather than from home.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
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, Porter 2
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Mo, Moe and Md.
- a name that charts abroad tooMohammad is on the national lists of England & Wales
Choose Porter if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsPorter is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesPorter is 2 syllables to Mohammad's 3
- a long American recordPorter was already in use when US records began in 1880
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
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.
Porter
Strengths
- One obvious spelling and one obvious pronunciation — English speakers already know the word, so it rarely needs repeating or correcting.
- Long unbroken record: documented as an English surname since the Middle Ages and in use as an American first name across generations.
- Two syllables that pair easily with both short and long surnames, and initials that cause no trouble.
To consider
- Porter is still a working English noun — a hotel porter, a railway porter, a glass of porter. Most people will hear the name first, but the word is never far away.
- Surname-style first names get read as last names on forms, rosters and email systems. Expect the occasional "Mr. Porter" addressed to a small child.
- There is essentially one short form, Port, and it is not widely used. If you are hoping for a nickname to grow into, this name does not really offer one.
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 Mohammad and Porter 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 Mohammad and Porter?
Put both to the vote.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- British invasion: UK favorites still rare in the US
- Eight-letter names with presence
- Names that begin and end with the same letter
- all guides
Where Mohammad and Porter each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Mohammad or Porter — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Mohammad or Porter?
- Porter, in 2025: Porter ranked #560 with 531 babies; Mohammad ranked #561 with 529 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Mohammad or Porter?
- Mohammad. Over the last five years Mohammad moved up 102 places; Porter moved down 136 places.
- Which is the older name, Mohammad or Porter?
- Mohammad entered the US charts in 1964; Porter was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Porter is the older name.
- How many people are named Mohammad and Porter?
- About 17,000 people named Mohammad are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 17,000 people named Porter are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Mohammads or Porters in the classroom?
- Mohammad will almost certainly be the only one in school. Porter 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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