The Department of Statistics in the United Kingdom has revealed in its latest dataset that Muhammad is officially the most popular name for a newborn boy in England and Wales, reports NDTV.
More than 4,600 babies were registered with that name in 2023 - the highest for a boy. Muhammad was the second-most popular name in 2022 as well.
Noah, once the most popular name in UK, came a distant second this year, according to the Office for National Statistics or ONS.
But the staff at Great Britain's statistical office has in-fact been observing the trend for a while now. Jotting down the most popular names in the UK, besides other important statistics, it revealed that Muhammad has been among the top 10 names for baby boys since 2016.
Adding to the cheer, the Department of Statistics said that other spellings of the name Muhammad - namely Mohammed and Mohammad - also made the top 100 list for England and Wales. This, the ONS explained, is because it considers each spelling as a separate name.
Victoria, Harry, William, and Charlotte are no longer popular names for children in the UK, the data showed, adding that Elizabeth and Charles are also not a favourite among young parents.
The nine other top names for newborn boys in Britain are - Noah, Oliver, George, Leo, Arthur, Luca, Theodore, Oscar, and Henry.
For newborn girls, the ten most popular names in Britain in 2023 were - Olivia, Amelia, Isla, Lily, Freya, Ava, Ivy, Florence, Willow, and Isabella. The top three names for girls have remained unchanged for a third consecutive year.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
