Given name & surname
Mehmet
Mehmet is a masculine given name from Ottoman Turkish, ultimately from Arabic. It is used in English, German, and Turkish.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
In English use, Mehmet is a variant of Muhammad. An origin associated with Muhammad is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Mehmet developed from محمد.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1960. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mehmet through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 837
- 837 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 42 babies
- 2025
- 19
- #5,143 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −29%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 19 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,143 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 29.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 42 in 2015. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,368 as a first name in 2020; 133 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mehmet’s family of names
In Turkish usage, Mehmet has a diminutive in Mehmetçik. In English usage, Mehmet shares an earlier linguistic root with Muhammad. Mehmet has a related form in Mohammed.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mehmet has relatives in 9 languages.
18 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Muhammadvariant · English, German
- Mohammedvariant · German
- Muhammedvariant · Turkish
- Mehmedvariant · Turkish, English
- Muhamedvariant · Albanian
- Mmehmetlikely variant
- Mehmmetlikely variant
- Metodiminutive · Albanian
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Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- MahometoEsperanto
- MahomaSpanish
- MohamedoEsperanto
- МехметRussian
- МахметRussian
- محمدolder form · Ottoman Turkish
- Baphometdoublet · English
- Mahometdoublet · English
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See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Mehmet
- Mehmet SchollGerman association football player and managerborn 1970
- Mehmet Akif ErsoyTurkish poet and writer (1873–1936)
- Mehmet TopalTurkish association football player (born 1986)
- Zeki ÇelikTurkish association football player (born 1997)
- Meša SelimovićYugoslavian writer1910–1982
- Mehmet ShehuPrime Minister of Albania (1913-1981)
- Mehmet Ali TalatPresident of Northern Cyprus from 2005 to 2010born 1952
- Mehmet OkurTurkish basketball player (born 1979)
- Mehmet OzTurkish-American surgeon, TV host, and government official (born 1960)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Mehmet, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.