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Is Muhammad the most popular name in England and Wales?

While the name “Muhammad” ranked second for baby boys in England and Wales in 2022, when combined with other spellings of the Prophet’s name (PBUH), it emerges as the most popular for newborn boys.

According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), “Muhammad” trails Noah (1st)  by just 409 entries, highlighting the name’s widespread appeal and cultural significance within British Muslim communities.

But when the spellings Muhammad (2nd), Mohammed (27th) and Mohammad (67th) are combined, the Prophet’s name surpasses Noah.

Muhammad was the most popular boys’ name in four out of nine English regions: the North West, Yorkshire And The Humber, the West Midlands, and London. The latter three regions also have the “Mohammed” spelling in the top 10. 

Several other Muslim boys’ names also appear in the top 100, including Yusuf (93rd), Musa (99th) and Ibrahim (100th).

Layla ranked as the highest Muslim-sounding name for baby girls in England and Wales at 56th place. 

Other Islamic names featured in the top 100 list include Zara (70th), Maryam (75th), and a new entry Fatima (99th). 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. 

What Muslim names appeared in the top 200?

Boys’ names

2 Muhammad

27 Mohammed

67 Mohammad

93 Yusuf

99 Musa

100 Ibrahim

138 Muhammed

142 Yahya

144 Ali

147 Ayaan

160 Zakariya

161 Zayn

166 Syed

170 Eesa

178 Abdullah

188 Hamza

191 Omar

193 Ayan

197 Rayan

Girls’ names

56    Layla

70    Zara

75    Maryam

99    Fatima

107 Aisha

127 Amaya

130 Aaliyah

147 Zahra

155 Amara

162 Amira

163 Zainab

179 Khadija

193 Ayat

198 Ayah

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