Boy · Arabic · Muslim · International
Mustafa
مصطفیٰSay it mus-TAH-faa
- Meaning
- Chosen, selected; an epithet of the Prophet as God's elect Lane, p. 1703–1704
- Say it
- mus-TAH-faa
- Written
- مصطفیٰ
- Other spellings
- Mustapha, Mostafa
Mustafa
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Mustafa meaning
Mustafa (مصطفیٰ) is a Muslim and international boy's name of Arabic origin.
Chosen, selected; an epithet of the Prophet as God's elect
Mustafa (مصطفیٰ) is the Arabic muṣṭafā, the passive participle of iṣṭafā, "he chose, selected, preferred", from the root ṣ-f-w, which carries the idea of clearness and purity. So the word means "chosen" or "selected". Lane notes that al-Muṣṭafā, "the Chosen One", is an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad as God's elect. The plural occurs in the Quran at 38:47, of earlier prophets who are among "the chosen, the best", and the verb appears in 3:33. Name lists today give Mustafa as "chosen", in line with the dictionary. Its best-known modern bearer is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938), founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey.
Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon (1863–93), Book I, Part 4, p. 1703–1704 · entry muṣṭafā (مُصْطَفًى), root ṣ-f-w · See the entry
In the Quran: 38:47 (al-muṣṭafayna (ٱلْمُصْطَفَيْنَ)) · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon, muṣṭafā (مُصْطَفًى), pp. 1703–1704 · Quran 38:47 · Britannica, Kemal Atatürk
Famous namesakes
- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938), founder of the Republic of Turkey
Popularity abroad
- #761 United States, boys 2025 (up 61 from 822 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #170 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Mustafa · Mustapha · Mostafa