Once again, most children in England and Wales have been named ‘Muhammad’. According to the 2025 report of the Office for National Statistics i.e. ONS, it remains the most popular name for boys for the third consecutive year. This year, about 6,000 newborns were named Muhammad, which is about 2,000 more than Noah, who came in second place. The report also states that the popularity of this name is continuously increasing due to the increase in Muslim population and maintaining their cultural identity.
‘Muhammad’ became number one for the third consecutive year
According to the latest report of the Office for National Statistics i.e. ONS, in 2025, about 6,000 children in England and Wales will be named Muhammad. This is the third consecutive year that it has become the most popular name for boys. Noah was in second place, but a difference of about 2,000 children was recorded between the two names. From 2023 till now, these two names have remained at the first and second positions. The ONS considers different spellings as separate names, so adding all the spellings together makes the number even higher.
Add the second spelling and the figure becomes bigger.
Different spellings of the name Muhammad are also included in the report. ‘Mohammed’ was ranked 20th and the second spelling of ‘Mohammad’ was ranked 55th. The names of about 2,600 more children were registered with these two spellings. However, the ONS does not combine different spellings in its list. If these are mixed, the total number of children named Muhammad becomes much higher.
Olivia is at the forefront among girls
Talking about girls’ names, Olivia continues to be the most popular name. After this comes Lily, Amelia, Aila and Florence. Whereas in the list of boys, Leo and Luca are at third and fourth place. He has left behind names like Arthur, Oliver and George. The ONS says that baby names in England and Wales are now more diverse than before and many popular names are also linked to the culture of other countries.
When did the popularity of the name Muhammad start increasing?
The name Muhammad first appeared in the list of top-100 boys’ names in England and Wales in 1997. After this its popularity continued to increase. It has remained in the top-10 since 2016 and is now at the first position for the third consecutive year. The report also shows that even in 1954, three different spellings of the name Muhammad were in the top-100, while the name ‘Mohammed’ was first recorded in 1924 at 91st place. This shows that this name has been present in Britain for many decades. (Source: Office for National Statistics)
The most popular names for girls and boys in England and Wales in 2025
| rank | girls names (2025) | Changes compared to 2024 | Boys Names (2025) |
Changes compared to 2024
|
| 1 | Olivia | #ERROR! | Muḥammad | #ERROR! |
| 2 | Lilly | 1 | Noah | #ERROR! |
| 3 | Amelia | -1 | Leo | 2 |
| 4 | Isla | #ERROR! | Lucas | 3 |
| 5 | Florence | 1 | Arthur | -1 |
| 6 | freya | 1 | oliver | -3 |
| 7 | poppy | 1 | George | -1 |
| 8 | Elsie | 2 | Oskar | 1 |
| 9 | ivy | -4 | Theodore | -1 |
| 10 | Isabella | 1 | Freddie | 3 |
Source: ONS
Why is the popularity of this name increasing?
ONS says that there are many reasons behind the increasing popularity of the name Muhammad. The most important among these is the increasing population of the Muslim community in Britain. According to the report, the Muslim population in Britain is about 40 lakh, which is about 6 percent of the total population of the country. Many Muslim families want to maintain their religious and cultural identity through the names of their children. Along with this, the trend of naming children in Britain has become more diverse than before, due to which names from different cultures are becoming increasingly popular.
How did the Muslim community grow in Britain?
Oxford University Professor David Coleman has also been mentioned in the report. According to him, in the 19th century, some Muslim sailors from Yemen and Egypt started settling in Britain’s port cities like London, Cardiff and Liverpool. After this, due to the British Nationality Act of 1948, migration to Britain increased rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, a large number of people from West Indies and Asian countries came to Britain for employment opportunities. After this period, the Muslim population continued to increase there and today its effect is clearly visible in the society and the trend of names.
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