Muhtar means “chosen”. It comes from Arabic. It is documented as a boy's name in Turkish, Uyghur and Kazakh.
- Muhtar is a name of Arabic origin.
- It is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur and Kazakh.
- 2 syllables (counted from the spelling) and 6 letters.
What does Muhtar mean?
Muhtar comes from Arabic mukhtār, 'chosen', a participle of the verb 'to choose'. It is listed as a male name in Turkish, Uyghur (مۇختار) and Kazakh (Мұхтар). In Uyghur the word is also an adjective meaning autonomous or free.[1,2,4,5]
Also glossed as “passive participle and active participle of the verb <i class="Arab mention" lang="ar">اِخْتَارَ</i> (iḵtāra, “to choose”)”[2,3]✓ Documented
Muhtar in Turkish, Uyghur and Kazakh
What does Muhtar mean in Turkish?
In Turkish the name is written Muhtar. No separate Turkish gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “chosen” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.[4,6]
Listed as a given name in the Turkish section of Wiktionary.
What does Muhtar mean in Uyghur?
In Uyghur the name is written مۇختار, muxtar (ULY), Muxtar (ULY transliteration), Muxter and مۇختەر. Here it is glossed as “autonomous, self-governing; free”[1]; “chosen, selected”[5]. It is recorded as a boy's name.[1,5]
Listed as a given name in the Uyghur section of Wiktionary.
What does Muhtar mean in Kazakh?
In Kazakh the name is written Мұхтар, Muxtar (Wiktionary romanization) and Mukhtar (as given on Wiktionary (xlit)). No separate Kazakh gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “chosen” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.[2,7]
Listed as a given name in the Kazakh section of Wiktionary.
Where does the name Muhtar come from?
Arabic, borrowing. Borrowed from Arabic مُخْتَار (muḵtār, “passive participle and active participle of the verb اِخْتَارَ (iḵtāra, “to choose”)”)[2,3]✓ Documented
Arabic, borrowing. Borrowed from Arabic; the Turkish form came through Ottoman Turkish.[1,2,4]✓ Documented
Arabic, borrowing. The Dictionary of Uyghur Names gives the origin as Arabic.[5]✓ Documented
Which languages use the name Muhtar?
Muhtar is used as a given name in Turkish, Uyghur and Kazakh. Its origin is Arabic. The table shows for each language whether the use is documented by a cited source or comes from our editorial research.
Muhtar across Turkic languages
| Language | Spelling | Gender | Meaning in this language | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish | MuhtarLatin | Boy | same as above: “chosen” | Documented[4,6] |
| Uyghur | مۇختارArabic script MuxterLatin, variant مۇختەرArabic script, variant | Boy | “autonomous, self-governing; free” | Documented[1,5] |
| Kazakh | МұхтарCyrillic | Boy | same as above: “chosen” | Documented[2,7] |
Similar spellings in different languages do not prove a shared origin: two languages can arrive at the same sound from different words. The origin section above states what the sources say.
Spelling variations of Muhtar
Forms are shown as recorded, in their original script. Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled with their system and are not presented as attested spellings.
| Form | Language | Script | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muhtar[4] | Turkish | Latin | Standard spelling |
| Mukhtar[7] | Latin spelling | Latin | Variant |
| مۇختار[1,5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Native spelling |
| muxtar[1] | Uyghur | Latin | Romanization (ULY) |
| Muxtar[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Romanization (ULY transliteration) |
| Muxter[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| مۇختەر[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Мұхтар[2] | Kazakh | Cyrillic | Native spelling |
| Muxtar[2] | Kazakh | Latin | Romanization (Wiktionary romanization) |
| Mukhtar[2] | Kazakh | Latin | Romanization (as given on Wiktionary (xlit)) |
Sibling names for Muhtar
Names recorded for the same languages that start with a different letter, so two children are not mixed up. Names that share a meaning theme or an element with Muhtar rank first. Siblings do not have to match; these are only ideas.
- BaktygulGirl“flower of happiness”same language (kazakh)
- NurtileuBoy“light, shine, radiance + wish; want”same language (kazakh)
- “Ish 'friend' with the suffix 'deer'”same language (uyghur)
- YelbayBoy“wind lord”same language (turkish)
- ErekenBoy“sowing man”same language (turkish)
- NurjamalGirl“light radiating from beauty; light of beauty”same language (uyghur)
- NapirBoy“one who startles, scares off”same language (uyghur)
- SeyfiBoy“of the sword”same language (turkish)
Common questions about Muhtar
What does the name Muhtar mean?
Muhtar means “chosen”. It comes from Arabic. It is documented as a boy's name in Turkish, Uyghur and Kazakh.
Is Muhtar a girl's or a boy's name?
Muhtar is recorded as a boy's name. By language: Turkish: boys; Uyghur: boys; Kazakh: boys.
Where does Muhtar come from?
Muhtar is of Arabic origin according to our origin records. Read the origin section above for the sources.
Which languages use Muhtar?
Muhtar is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur and Kazakh. The table shows each language's spelling, gender and evidence label, and a language is listed only when our data records the name for it.
How is Muhtar spelled in other scripts?
Recorded spellings: Muhtar (Latin), Mukhtar (Latin), مۇختار (Arabic script), Muxter (Latin), مۇختەر (Arabic script), Мұхтар (Cyrillic). Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled as such in the spelling table.
How many syllables does Muhtar have?
Muhtar has 2 syllables by our approximate count of vowel groups in the spelling, and 6 letters. Pronunciation can differ by language.
Sources
Numbers in the text point to these sources. The descriptions on this page are written by our editors; source texts are not copied.
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “مۇختار”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 79095203. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Uyghur etymology derives the name from Arabic مختار; classified as a male given name in Uyghur; Uyghur adjective مۇختار: autonomous, self-governing; free, liberal; مۇختار appears as a Uyghur given name (masculine) (+2 more)
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Мұхтар”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 87631433. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Kazakh etymology derives the name from Arabic مختار; classified as a male given name in Kazakh; classified as Kazakh given names, Kazakh male given names; etymology: Borrowed from Arabic مُخْتَار (muḵtār, “passive participle and active participle of the verb اِخْتَارَ (iḵtāra, “to choose”)”) (+5 more)
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “مختار”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93330854. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Arabic مختار means chosen (participle of اِخْتَارَ 'to choose'); Arabic مُخْتَار ‘passive participle and active participle of the verb <i class="Arab mention" lang="ar">اِخْتَارَ</i> (iḵtāra, “to choose”)’
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Muhtar”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93000397. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: classified as a male given name in Turkish; Muhtar appears as a Turkish given name (masculine); Turkish form inherited from the Ottoman Turkish spelling of the same Arabic word; Turkish given-name entry spelled Muhtar
- Uyghur Language. Dictionary of Uyghur Names. Uyghur Language (GitHub: uyghur-language/names), revision 075ed994f116b4b9e06c7d013b4fb880db679883. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: MIT License.
Supports: entry in the Dictionary of Uyghur Names; Uyghur gloss: تاللانغان، خىللانغان; listed as a Uyghur given name (masculine); origin: Arabic (+4 more)
- Wikidata contributors. Wikidata item Q61984584 (Muhtar, male given name). Wikimedia Foundation, revision 2357654099. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC0 1.0.
Supports: Wikidata records Turkish as language of the name (P407)
- Rustem Yeshpanov. KazPER Kazakh person-name list. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Supports: listed in KazPER; KazPER English spelling Mukhtar
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