Muhammad has overtaken Noah as the top name for baby boys in England and Wales, coming in at top spot in 2023 according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The Prophet’s name (PBUH) has been in the top 10 most popular names for baby boys in England and Wales since 2016. Ten years ago it was ranked 14.
It was the most popular boys’ name in four out of nine regions in England (North West, Yorkshire And The Humber, West Midlands, London) and was 63rd in Wales.
Two other spellings of the name are also in the top 100 — ‘Mohammed’ (28) and Mohammad (68). In West Midlands and London, the ‘Mohammed’ spelling is also in the top ten.
Although ‘Muhammad’ alone did not rank first in previous years, when combined with alternative spellings of the name, it emerged as the most popular choice for newborn boys.
Yusuf (79), Ibrahim (83) and Musa (85) are other Muslim names in the top 100 – all climbing from their entry in 2022.
Layla ranked as the highest Muslim-sounding name for baby girls in England and Wales at 54th place.
Other Muslim names featured in the top 100 girls list include Zara (73), Maryam (75), and Fatima (88). Olivia maintained its position as the most popular name for baby girls overall.
ONS top 100
The Prophet’s (PBUH) name appearing in the top 100 is not new — the first time it appeared was in 1924, ranking at 91.
It has appeared in the top 100 most popular names for baby boys every ten years from 1924 to 1994 and every year since 1996. Three different spellings of the name were also in the top 100 in 1954.
The ONS treats each spelling of a name separately and has said that combining names with similar spelling would confuse matters as it means making a ‘subjective decision’ on names.
“So to make a fair comparison either all names should be treated separately or all names on the list should be combined with names that have a similar spelling,” it said in a blog in 2016.
Muslim names in the top 200 for England & Wales: Is your name there?
Boys’ names
1 Muhammad
28 Mohammed
68 Mohammad
79 Yusuf
83 Ibrahim
85 Musa
126 Yahya (surpasses the English equivalent John for the first time, which comes in at 158)
134 Muhammed
148 Zakariya
149 Ayaan
159 Abdullah
164 Syed
166 Zayn
171 Hamza
182 Omar
189 Abdul
189 Eesa
191 Rayan
192 Mustafa
196 Ahmed
Girls’ names
54 Layla
73 Zara
75 Maryam
83 Fatima
115 Amaya
116 Aisha
117 Anaya
124 Amara
137 Aaliyah
142 Zahra
143 Amira
156 Zainab
169 Khadija
178 Ayah
182 Dua
186 Safa
