Given name & surname
Mustapha
“the chosen one”
Mustapha is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “the chosen one.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “the chosen one.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1981. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mustapha through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 654
- 654 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 16
- #5,769 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −9%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,769 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 8.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 26 in 2004. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,086 as a first name in 2020; 986 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.
Mustapha’s family of names
Mustapha has a related form in Mustafa. Mustapha has a related form in Mostafa. Mustapha has a related form in Moustafa.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Mustapha
- Mustapha HadjiMoroccan and French footballerborn 1971
- Mustapha YatabaréMalian and French footballerborn 1986
- Mustapha GhorbalAlgerian association football refereeborn 1985
- Alemdar Mustafa PashaOttoman Grand Vizier (1755-1808)
- Mustafa El HaddaouiMoroccan footballerborn 1961
- Mustapha DahlebAlgerian association football playerborn 1952
- Mustapha El BiyazMoroccan footballerborn 1960
- Mustapha MoussaAlgerian boxer (1962–2024)
- Mustapha AdibLebanese academic, diplomat, politicianborn 1972
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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