Mamadou
Masculine · “praised”
Mamadou is the West African form of Muhammad — the praised one — and it is among the most-used names in Senegal, Mali and Guinea.
How old is the name Mamadou?
Mamadou first appears in US birth records in 1990 — 35 years ago. The typical Mamadou alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 1,900 people named Mamadou are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Mamadou most popular?
Mamadou peaked in 2003, reaching #1538 nationally. Today it ranks #1753, 215 places below that high. See the whole 2003 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From hammada to Mamadou
The story of Mamadou
Islam reached West Africa across the Sahara from the eleventh century, and Arabic names were reshaped by Wolof, Fula, Mandinka and Bambara speech — Muhammad becoming Mamadou. It is among the most common names in Senegal and Mali. West African emigration brought it to Europe and America, where it is in current use.
Meaning
praised, praiseworthy
Through Muhammad, from the Arabic hammada, 'to praise' — the passive participle, so 'one who is praised'. West African languages reshaped it as Mamadou, Mamadu and Mahamadou. The Arabic is ordinary and the meaning undisputed.
How the name formed
- hammada
- Muhammad
- Mamadou
Related forms: Mamadou · Muhammad · Mamadu
Pronouncing Mamadou
mah-mah-DOO
Three syllables, stress on the third. The French-influenced spelling reflects Senegalese and Malian orthography.
Nicknames for Mamadou
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1990
- Most boys named
- 2024106 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1538reached in 2003
- Change vs 2024
- −13.2%92 in 2025, from 106
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Mamadou in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Mamadou in Wolof — same name
- Muhammad in Arabic — related form
- Mamadu in Bambara — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
Mamadous among us
people named Mamadou are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 18,566 born in 2025 was named Mamadou
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Marcial test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Mamadou's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Marcial climbed just as high around 1911, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Marcial's path sketches the road Mamadou is walking now.
Mamadou is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Mamadou is headed
Mamadou looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 24% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Mamadou beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Mamadou in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The praised meaning is transparent, undisputed and carries enormous weight.
- It records a real thousand-year history of Islam in West Africa.
- Three syllables of open vowels, which carries unusually well.
- The French-influenced spelling will need explaining to English speakers.
- Three syllables and an end stress are unfamiliar in English.
- It reads as specifically West African.
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What they receive
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Mamadou
Masculine · #1753 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Mamadous are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,900 people named Mamadou are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Mamadou in 2025?
- Mamadou ranks #1753 among US boy names in 2025, with 92 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Mamadou?
- About 1 in every 18,566 US boys born in 2025 was named Mamadou — 92 in all.
- Will my child share the name Mamadou with classmates?
- Mamadou will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Mamadou
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ames#1753 · Yehoshua#1753 · Salomon#1753 · Akai#1753 · Keyler#1753 · Arley#1753 · Riaan#1753 · Zealand#1753
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Mamadou? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Mamadou and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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