> The version with 'c' is one that contains a pronunciation hint for people whose native language is not Arabic (but probably English).
What hint would that be? There's no 'c' sound in the Arabic version.
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Hint as in “Bach”
But that's not how it's pronounced in Arabic, see my other comment.
I carry a knife specifically to stab people who pronounce my name that way (the Achmed way).
... yes, this is a joke.
... the knife is very dull and purely for ritualistic purposes!
Another variety: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jambiya
“ch” like in Scottish English “loch” is closer to the “h” in “Ahmad” than the normal English “h"
No, it's not. It's a soft 'H' sound in Arabic, the same as in Muhammad. It's closer to the English 'H'. The Scottish 'ch' is a different letter entirely in Arabic and doesn't appear in this name.
This sound, to be precise: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_pharyngeal_fricative
It is indeed closer in terms of its place of articulation to English 'h' than either variant of the German 'ch' sound.
I suppose the point is that it's not the voiceless glottal fricative?
To my ears [ħ] sounds closer to [x] and [χ] than to [h] (even though the place of articulation is closer to [h]), but I'm sure it's different for people who (natively) speak a language with all three.
Yeah, I imagine it's an interesting question which of these sounds is more perceptually similar to the target sound. It may well depend to some extent on the native language(s) of the person who is listening.