4661 Babies Registered with the Name 'Muhammad' at Birth in the UK
Including Similar Names, the Number Is Much Higher
Arab Girl Name 'Aizal' Surges by 479%
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Last year, the most common name for baby boys born in the UK was ‘Muhammad’. This name, commonly used in Arab countries, took the top spot, which appears to be influenced by the expanding Muslim community across the UK.
According to the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the 5th (local time), 4,661 babies were registered with the name ‘Muhammad’ in England and Wales in 2023, up from 4,177 in the previous year. ‘Noah’, which was number one in 2022, dropped to second place in 2023 with 4,382 registrations. Following were Oliver (3,556), George (3,494), and Leo (3,416) in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.
This survey is based on the first name registered at birth, and even if names are similar, if the spelling differs by even one letter, they are counted as different names. This means the actual number of babies named ‘Muhammad’ is much higher. Names essentially the same as ‘Muhammad’ include Mohammed with 1,601 registrations (28th place) and Mohammad with 835 registrations (68th place). Other Arab names such as Ayman and Hasan also increased by 47% and 43% respectively compared to the previous year, ranking 4th and 6th in terms of growth rate.
Regarding this, the UK Daily Mail analyzed that "the expansion of the Muslim community across the UK due to immigration, as well as the popularity of sports stars like British athlete Mo Farah, Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah, and American boxer Muhammad Ali, may have influenced this trend."
For girls’ names last year, Olivia was the most popular for the eighth consecutive year with 2,906 registrations. It was followed by Amelia (2,663), Isla (2,337), Lily (2,290), and Freya (2,086). Arab names ‘Aizal’ and ‘Ayzal’ saw the highest growth rates, increasing by 479% and 183%, respectively.
The UK Office for National Statistics stated, "The influence of popular culture on naming remains strong," noting that babies named after American pop stars Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus, as well as lead actresses Margot Robbie from the movie ‘Barbie’ and Cillian Murphy from ‘Oppenheimer’, increased compared to the previous year.
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