"Muhammad" becomes the popular newborn boy name in England

London: In 2023, most of the newborn boys were named “Muhammad” in England and Wales, The Times of India reported, citing data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The data suggests that 4,661 newborn boys were named “Muhammed”, and when the name “Noah” fell to second place and “Oliver” reached third.

According to the report, the name “Muhammad” has been in the top 10 list of most newborn boy names in the region since 2016, and it reached second place in 2022.

The name is also most popular in four out of ten regions across England and Wales, including the North, West Midlands, and London. Further, the variants of the name, such as "Mohammed" and "Mohammad," also featured in the top 100. They ranked 28th and 68th respectively.

Among baby girls, the name “Olivia” has retained its top position as the most popular name, while “Amelia” and “Isla” have remained second and third since 2022. “Olivia” has been dominating the rankings since 2016, the TOI report stated.

The report further stated that pop culture had a significant influence on parents' choices in naming their babies in 2023. Following the release of the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer- “Barbenheimer- which starred superstars Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy, there was a surge in baby names “Margot” and “Cillian”.

Also, musical icons Elton John, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey also influenced parents in naming babies in the region.

When royal names like Camilla, Meghan and Harry declined, names inspired by the Kardashian-Jenner children, like Reign, Saint, and Psalm, increased. Season names like Autumn and Summer and day-inspired names like Sunday and Wednesday also saw an uptick in popularity.