Mahmoud is an Arabic name meaning "praiseworthy" or "praised", from the same root as Muhammad and Ahmed, and it is one of the most widely used Muslim boys' names from Egypt to Iran. The spelling with ou reflects French and Egyptian transliteration, while Mahmud is common in Turkey and South Asia. In the United States Mahmoud peaked at number 1493 in 2002 and ranks 2220 in 2025 with 64 births.