The National Statistical Office (ONS) has published the ranking for the year 2023 concerning the first names most given by the British. The first name Muhammad occupies first place in the ranking, Noah and Oliver follow on the podium.
Muhammad was for the first time the first name most frequently given to boys last year in England and Wales, according to official data published this Thursday, December 5.
In second place the previous year, this time he overtook Noah. Oliver is the third most given first name. In 2023, 4,661 newborns were named Muhammad, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This first name has been in the top 10 since 2016, and taking into account all its variations (Mohammed, Mohammad, Mohamed, Mohamad), it was already the most popular first name on several occasions, for example in 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2022 .
England and Wales have 3.9 million Muslims
Three variants (Muhammad, Mohammed and Mohammad) appear among the 100 most given first names in 2023. England and Wales have 3.9 million Muslims out of a total population of 59.6 million inhabitants (i.e. 6.5%), according to the latest census dating from 2021. A number up compared to the previous census of 2011 (2.7 million, 4.9%).
In 2016, the ONS explained the popularity of the first names Muhammad, Mohammed and Mohammad in particular by the fact that they predominate within the Muslim community, where they are traditionally given in homage to the Prophet Muhammad, while a wide diversity of male first names exists in the rest of the population.
For the girls, no change at the top of the ranking, Olivia, Amelia and Isla were returned to the top three. The ONS also stressed that culture “continues to influence” parents when it comes to finding a first name for their child, with, for example, more little girls named Margot last year (215), in the in the wake of the release of the film “Barbie” by Margot Robbie.
New names entered the Top 100 with the appearance of Hazel, Lilah, Nevaeh and Raya for girls, and Jax, Enzo and Bodhi for boys.
