Muhammad has officially become the most popular name for baby boys in the United Kingdom, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
While traditional names like Noah and Oliver took second and third place, Muhammad claimed the top spot for the first time nationwide in 2023. Previously, the name, in its many spelling variations, had ranked first in specific regions, such as London and the West Midlands.
The rise of Muhammad reflects ongoing demographic and cultural shifts in the UK. In 2023, 4,661 babies were named Muhammad across England and Wales, up from 4,177 the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of Noahs dropped to 4,382 from 4,586 in 2022.
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It’s important to note that Muhammad is spelled in various ways, including Mohammed and Mohammad. When these variations are combined, the name has held the unofficial title of the UK’s most popular boys’ name for several years.
The news vindicates comments made earlier this year by Vice-President-elect J.D. Vance, who described Britain as the world’s first “Islamist country” to have a nuclear weapon.
“And I was talking about what is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon, and we were like, maybe it’s Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts, and then we sort of finally decided maybe it’s actually the UK, since Labour just took over,” Vance said at the time.
The comments, which were intended more as a joke, sparked outrage among the British at the time. However, the statistics are impossible to ignore.
The name Muhammad, which holds deep religious and cultural significance, is named after the prophet of Islam and the author of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Consequently, nearly all boys named Muhammad are born into Muslim families.
For girls, Olivia retained its top spot for the eighth consecutive year, with Amelia and Isla rounding out the top three.
Each year, the ONS provides a detailed analysis of baby name trends, shedding light on the evolving preferences of parents across the UK.
Over the summer, Britain was hit by widespread protests against mass immigration and Islamic terrorism.
The far-left Labour government, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has responded by launching an aggressive crackdown on those involved and the imprisonment of those deemed “dangerous” to society.