Mostaf

Mostaf is a masculine given name used in several Muslim-majority communities. It is a transliteration variant of Mustafa, which comes from the Arabic root istafa meaning “to choose” or “to select”; the form Mustafa literally means “the chosen one.” In Islamic tradition, al-Mustafa is a title used for the Prophet Muhammad, contributing to the name’s positive connotations.

The name is widely used across the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, South Asia, and their diasporas. Spelling variants in Latin script include Mostaf, Mostafa, Mustafa, Mustapha, and Mustapha; such variants arise from differences in pronunciation and transliteration in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, and other languages. While the exact frequency of the spelling Mostaf varies by country, it is generally understood as a variant of Mustafa rather than a distinct name, with the same meaning and associations.