| Mustafa | Idris | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The chosen one | studious, learned (disputed) |
| Origin | Arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MUS-tah-fah | id-REES |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1963 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (339) | 2025 (391) |
| In 2025 | 339 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Mustafa | Idris |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,636 | 1,938 |
| 2010s | 2,243 | 1,628 |
| 2000s | 1,605 | 543 |
| 1990s | 1,016 | 345 |
| 1980s | 633 | 283 |
| 1970s | 219 | 282 |
| 1960s | 21 | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 | 7 |
| 1910s | 0 | 5 |
Mustafa means “the chosen one,” an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad.
Traditionally linked by Arabic sources to the root d-r-s (د-ر-س, 'to study, to learn'), giving 'studious, learned'; another old interpretation is 'interpreter'. Many scholars regard the ultimate origin as non-Arabic, since Idris is the Quranic prophet traditionally identified with the Biblical Enoch. The meaning is therefore disputed.
Mustafa is more popular than Idris today: about 339 US babies were given the name Mustafa in 2025, compared with 0 named Idris.
Mustafa means The chosen one (Arabic origin), while Idris means studious, learned (disputed) (arabic origin).
In US records, Mustafa first appears in 1963 and Idris in 0, so Idris has the longer recorded history.