TOI correspondent from London: “Muhammad” has become the most popular name for boys in England and Wales for the first time, according to new data Office for National Statistics (ONS).
“Muhammad” overtakes “Noah” as the top baby name for boys in 2023. It was the second most popular name in 2022 and has been in the top 10 most popular names for baby boys in England and Wales since 2016.
“Noah” is the second most popular baby boy name in 2023, while “Oliver” is third.
There were 4,661 boys named “Muhammad” born in 2023, compared to 4,177 in 2022, while there were 4,382 boys named “Noah” in 2023.
The analysis shows that “Muhammad” is the most popular boy’s name in four out of 10 regions of England and Wales, mainly the North and West Midlands as well as London. Two other variants of the Arabic name “Muhammad” are in the top 100, with “Mohammed” at number 28 and “Muhammad” at number 68.
The three most popular baby girl names in 2023 were “Olivia”, “Amelia” and “Isla”, unchanged from 2022. “Olivia” is the top-ranked name for girls since 2016.
Movies and music had a significant influence on parents’ choices.
Inspired by “Barbenheimer,” which saw fans flock to theaters in the summer of 2023 to see Margot Robbie in “Barbie” and Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer,” ONS saw an increase in parents choosing the names Margot and Cillian.
The names of pop stars with Elton John and Kendrick Lamar were also influential, leading to an increase in children named Elton and Kendrick; While Rihanna, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey raised baby girls named Rihanna, Billie, Miley and Lana.
The analysis found that royal names such as Camilla, Meghan and Harry are declining in popularity while parents choosing names such as Rain, Saint and Salm, inspired by the children of the reality TV star family, the Kardashian-Jenners, are on the rise. Names after seasons, such as fall and summer, or days of the week, such as Sunday and Wednesday, have also grown in popularity.
New entries to the top 100 baby names in 2023 include Hazel, Lilah, Autumn, Neveh and Raya for girls and Jax, Enzo and Bodhi for boys.
