"Muhammad" became the most popular baby name for newborn males in England and Wales in 2023, according to a report from the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics (ONS) released Thursday.
"Muhammad," the second most popular name in 2022, overtook "Noah" to become No. 1 a year later, followed by "Noah" and "Oliver." In 2023, 4,661 boys were named "Muhammad," an increase of 484 from 2022, according to the ONS.
The rising popularity of "Muhammad" is attributed to it religious significance, an ONS spokesperson told The National. Muhammad was the founder of Islam and is considered a central figure in the religion. The Muslim population in England and Wales more than doubled in 20 years, from 1.5 million in 2001 to 3.9 million in 2021, according to the ONS.
"The name remains dominant among Muslims, but its rise coincides with increasing diversity in names for baby boys generally," the ONS told The National. "It could also be becoming more popular among Muslims living in the UK to remind them of their heritage growing up in a non-Muslim country."
In addition to "Muhammad," "Mohammed" and "Mohammad" are also in the top 100 baby names for male infants because the ONS does not combine spellings.
The top three names for infant girls remained unchanged from 2022 to 2023. "Olivia" remained the No. 1 girls name followed by "Amelia" and "Isla."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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