The name overtook Noah from last year to take top spot
Muhammad is the top name for baby boys in England and Wales from 2023, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The name leapfrogged Noah from 2022 to take top spot with 4,661 boys being born named Muhammad, a 484 count increase from the prior year.
Meanwhile, Noah saw a 204 count decrease going from 4,586 in 2022 to 4,382 this year.
The name Muhammad has been in the top 10 since 2016, however, it is the first time it has taken top spot as favourite among parents.
The statistics showed large regional deviation in the distribution of the name, with some regions not featuring it in the top 10.
The name does not include variations on the spelling of Muhammad, with both Mohammed and Mohammad making the top 100 list separately in England and Wales as the ONS considers the variations as different names.
Among baby girls, Olivia remains the most popular choice, with the top three rounded out by Amelia and Isla, an unchanged order since 2022.
Totals in the category for girls names suggested more variety, with the top choice Olivia only having 2,906 named.
Hyphenated names saw a large jump from last year, with a 6,810 increase from the previous year, up to 19,140.
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Both girls and boys categories saw new entries into the top 100, notably with Lilah, Raya and Hazel for the girls and Jax, Enzo and Bodhi among the boys.
The ONS said that pop culture “continues to influence” name choice, with music artist names such as Miley, Rihanna, Kendrick and Elton seeing an increase in 2023
Royal names continue to decline.
Publishing dates for 2024’s most popular picks have not yet been confirmed.
