Ammon News - Muhammad has become the most popular baby name for boys in England and Wales for the first time, new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.

The name has been among the top 10 names for baby boys since 2016, but has now overtaken the previous favourite, Noah. Oliver was third in the 2023 rankings for England and Wales.

For baby girls Olivia remained the most popular name for the eighth year in a row, with Amelia and Isla the second and third most popular.

Three variant spellings of the Arabic name Muhammad made the list of the top 100 baby boys’ names in England and Wales in previous years, but this is the first year that just one spelling of the name has managed to top the list.

In 2023 there were 4,661 Muhammads born across England and Wales, up from 4,177 in 2022, while Mohammed came in 28th with 1,601 and Mohammad came 68th with 835.

The data shows that Muhammad was the most popular boys’ name in four out of nine regions in England and 63rd most popular in Wales. Meanwhile, Olivia was the most popular girls’ name in five out of nine regions in England and the most popular in Wales. It has been in the top three for girls’ names every year since 2006.

The Guardian