The name Muhammad became the most popular name for newborn boys in England and Wales for the third year in a row, The Mirror reports. According to the outlet, nearly 6,000 boys were given the name over the past year. That is 4% more than a year earlier.
Noah remains in second place—it was chosen for 4,075 babies, almost 2,000 fewer. The gap between the two leaders is growing: a year ago, it stood at 1,580 names. Next in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) ranking are Leo and Luca, which overtook Arthur, Oliver, and George.
Two other spellings of the name also entered the top 100—Mohammed, in 20th place, and Mohammad, in 55th—with around 2,600 newborns between them. The ONS counts different spellings as separate names and does not combine them. If all variants are combined, the name has effectively topped the list for more than a decade.
Muhammad has been among the ten most popular boys’ names since 2016 and in the top 100 since 1997. The Mohammed variant first entered the top 100 back in 1924, ranking 91st. Today, the name leads in four of England’s nine regions—the North West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and London.
Among girls, Olivia remained the most popular name, followed by Lily and Amelia. The ONS notes that many names in the top ten have non-British origins—Scandinavian Freya, Italian Leo, Luca, and Isabella, and Hebrew Noah.