Muhammad Tops UK Baby Names for Boys in 2023, Overtaking Noah

Muhammad has become the most popular baby name for boys in the UK for the first time, new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.

The name has overtaken Noah, which came in second. Oliver was third in the 2023 rankings.

Olivia remained the most popular name for baby girls for the eighth year in a row, with Amelia and Isla the second and third most popular for girls.

Each year, the ONS analyses the latest baby name data, revealing the most popular – and unpopular – names in the UK.

In 2023, there were 4,661 Muhammads born across England and Wales, up from 4,177 in 2022.

In contrast, only 4,382 Noahs were born in 2023, down from 4,586 the previous year.

First time single spelling tops list

In previous years, combining all the different spellings of Muhammad would have made it the top name, but this is the first year that just one spelling of the name has topped the list.

An analysis by The Telegraph found that two of the fastest-growing boys’ names in 2023 were Arabic in origin: Ayman, up 47 per cent, and Hasan, up 43 per cent.

Among girls, Arabic names also saw significant growth, with Aizal and its variant Ayzal rising 479 per cent and 183 per cent, respectively. Inaya, meaning “care” or “protection” in Arabic, increased by 48 per cent.

But the boys’ name that underwent the biggest increase in popularity was Cassian.

The number of babies with this name, which is shared with a character in the romantic fiction series A Court of Thorns and Roses by the American author Sarah J Maas, went up by 79 per cent in the past year.

The series became a viral sensation after gaining popularity on TikTok.