Muhammed is the most popular baby name in England for the first time. It pipped Noah for the top spot by less than 100, though when you include variants such as Mohammed it's been way ahead for years.
Three variant spellings of the Arabic name Muhammad made the list of the top 100 baby boys' names in England and Wales in previous years, but this is the first year that just one spelling of the name has managed to top the list.
In 2023 there were 4,661 Muhammads born across England and Wales, up from 4,177 in 2022, while Mohammed came in 28th with 1,601 and Mohammad came 68th with 835.
The data shows that Muhammad was the most popular boys' name in four out of nine regions in England and 63rd most popular in Wales. Meanwhile, Olivia was the most popular girls' name in five out of nine regions in England and the most popular in Wales. It has been in the top three for girls' names every year since 2006.
About 6 percent of people in Britain are Muslim. The name and its variants are traditional, and many Muslim parents give their children other names too. Other parents name their offspring with whatever random pop culture flotsam drifts into their heads.
In 2023, baby names inspired by the days of the week became trendy, with names like Sunday and Wednesday gaining popularity. Seasonal names like Autumn and Summer also saw an increase, with Summer rising 10 places from 2022 to rank 86th, though still 38 spots lower than its peak in 2013.
