# Mukhtar (name)

Mukhtar (also spelled Muktar, /ˈmʊktɑːr/ or "Mihtar") meaning "chosen" in Arabic: المختار, is the head of a village or mahalle (neighbourhood) in many Arab countries as well as in Turkey and Cyprus. The name is given because mukhtars are usually selected by some consensual or participatory method, often involving an election. Mukhtar is also a common name. In Arab countries it is more often a surname (laqab), whilst in non-Arab Muslim countries it is common as a first name (ism).

## People named Mukhtar

* Ahmed Mukhtar (born 1967), Iraqi musician
* Al-Mukhtar (622-687), an early Muslim revolutionary
* Abu Hamza al-Mukhtar (died 748), Ibadi Kharijite rebel leader
* Bilqees Mukhtar (born 1969), Pakistani politician
* Ibrahim Mukhtar (1909-1969), former Grand Mufti of Eritrea
* Omar Mukhtar (1858-1931), Libyan revolutionary and imam
* Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari (1880-1936), Indian nationalist and political leader
* Mukhtar Auezov (1897-1961), Kazakh writer
* Mukhtar Altynbayev (born 1945), Kazakh politician
* Mukhtar Ansari (1963-2024), Indian gangster and convicted murderer
* Mukhtar Ashrafi (1912-1975), Soviet Uzbek composer
* Mukhtar Aymakhanov (born 1967), Russian cosmonaut
* Mukhtar Dar, Pakistani-born artist and activist
* Muktar Muhammed (1944-2017), Nigerian politician
* Muktar Said Ibrahim (born 1978), Eritrean-British terrorist
* Mukhtar Sahota, British Punjabi music composer and producer
* Sheikh Mukhtar Robow (born 1969), former deputy leader and former spokesman of Al-Shabaab
* Mukhtar Shakhanov (born 1942), Kazakh writer and politician
* Mukhtar Umarov (born 1987), Kazakh film director
* Mukhtar Ahmed (disambiguation)
* Muktar Ali (born 1989), Bangladeshi cricketer
* Mohamed Haji Mukhtar (born 1947), Somali-American scholar and writer
* Ahmad Mukhtar Baban (1900-1976), former Prime Minister of Iraq
* Mukhtaran Bibi (born 1972), Pakistani human rights activist
* Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein (1912-2012), Somali politician
* Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar (born 1949), Nigerian politician
* Mahmud Mukhtar Pasha (1867-1935), Ottoman-born Turkish military officer and diplomat
* Hany Mukhtar (born 1995), Sudanese-German professional footballer
* Mukhtar Magauin (1940-2025), Kazakh writer and publicist

## Popular Indian and Pakistani Masculine Name

Mukhtar is a commonly used masculine name in India and Pakistan. Here are some popular personalities:
* Sheikh Mukhtar (1914-1980), Indian actor
* Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (born 1957), Indian politician
* Mukhtar Khan, Indian photographer
* Mukhtar Ashraf (1916-1996), Indian Sufi saint
* Mukhtar Anis (1943-2021), Indian politician
* Mukhtar Hussain (born 1999), Indian cricketer
* Mukhtar Begum (1901-1982), Pakistani singer and musician
* Ahmad Mukhtar (1946-2020), Pakistani politician and businessman
* Mukhtar Ahmed (cricketer) (born 1992), Pakistani cricketer
* Usman Mukhtar (born 1985), Pakistani actor, director, producer and cinematographer
* Mukhtar Ahmad Dogar (1922-2004), Pakistan Air Force bomber pilot
* Mukhtar Masood (1926-2017), Pakistani Urdu writer and bureaucrat
* Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath (born 1976), Pakistani politician
* Naveed Mukhtar, Pakistan Army lieutenant general
* Mukhtar Ahmed Malik, Pakistani politician
* Habibullah Mukhtar (1944-1997), Pakistani Islamic scholar and writer