Muslim share on the rise Muhammad is the most popular first name in England and Wales
Muhammad beats Noah - as the most popular first name for newborn boys in England and Wales in 2023. The ranking of girls' names - Olivia, Amelia and Isla - remains the same as in 2022.
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- Muhammad was the most popular first name for newborn boys in England and Wales for the first time in 2023.
- The ranking for girls has not changed: Olivia, Amelia and Isla hold their own.
- Cultural phenomena also have an influence on naming: Margot was chosen more frequently in 2023 - probably because of the actress Margot Robbie and her role as "Barbie" in the film of the same name.
Last year, Muhammad overtook the previous year's winner Noah in the ranking of boys' names, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced on Thursday. The third most common boy's name in 2023 was Oliver.
According to the figures published on Thursday, a total of 4661 newborns were given the first name Muhammad last year, which first appeared in the top ten names in 2016. Taking into account all the different spellings - Mohammed, Mohammad, Mohamed and others - it was already the most popular first name in 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2022.
In 2016, the ONS explained the popularity of the names Mohammed, Muhammad and Mohammad in part by the fact that they are preferred in Muslim communities in honor of the prophet of the same name, while there is a greater variety of male first names in the rest of the population.
Muslims make up 6.5 percent of the population
According to a 2021 census, around 3.9 million Muslims live in England and Wales. Out of a total population of 59.6 million people, this corresponds to 6.5 percent. In 2011, there were still 2.7 million Muslims, or 4.9 percent.
As in the previous year, Olivia, Amelia and Isla were the most popular girls' names in 2023.
The statistics authority also pointed to the continuing influence of cultural phenomena on naming: last year, for example, significantly more girls were called Margot, which is presumably due to the actress Margot Robbie and her role as "Barbie" in the film of the same name.