Mahmud is the primary transliteration of the Arabic given name, Arabic: محمود‎, Maḥmūd, that comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root of Ḥ-M-D "Praise".

Despite sharing the same triconsonantal root, this name is distinct from the name Muhammad. One of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's many names is Mahmud.^{[citation needed]}

The name is common in most parts of the Islamic world; it is used as a given name for males, while the variant Mahmuda is given to females.^{[citation needed]}

Iwan Fals (born Virgiawan Listanto; September 3, 1961 in Jakarta) is an Indonesian singer–songwriter. In 2002, Time magazine named him as a Great Asian Hero.

Iwan was born Virgiawan Listanto in Jakarta, on September 3, 1961 to Harsoyo, a soldier, and Lies Suudijah. He studied at SMP 5 Bandung and SMAK BPK Bandung. He continued his studies at Sekolah Tinggi Publisistik and then Jakarta Arts Institute. At the age of thirteen, he performed as a street performer at wedding ceremonies and other social events.

On 1st January 1982, his first son, Galang Rambu Anarki was born. One of his best-known songs, Galang Rambu Anarki, was written for his birth and released on 1982's Opini (Opinion) album. Galang was a guitarist who became a folk musician in his own right, and he died on 25 April 1997 of a suspected morphine overdose. 'Galang Rambu Anarki' translates to "support the sign of anarchy" in English.

Three years later, his first daughter Anissa Cikal Rambu Basae was born. His third child is Rayya Rambu Robbani. He and Rosanna, his wife live in Cibubur, West Java.