Official data shows Muhammad has emerged as most popular name for baby boys in Great Britain
Muhammad has emerged as the most popular name given to baby boys in England and Wales in 2023, as per official data released on Thursday.
"Muhammad has overtaken Noah as the top name for baby boys in England and Wales, followed by Noah and Oliver," read a statement issued by the Office for National Statistics.
Muhammad 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.
"Olivia was the most popular girls' name in five out of nine regions in England and the most popular in Wales, while Muhammad was the most popular boys' name in four out of nine regions in England and was ranked 63rd in Wales," the statement said.
New entries to the top 100 baby names include Hazel, Lilah, Autumn, Nevaeh and Raya for girls, as well as Jax, Enzo and Bodhi for boys.
The data showed pop culture continues to influence the popularity of baby names including music artists such as Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey, celebrity baby names from the Kardashian-Jenner family such as Reign and Saint, and film stars such as Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy.
"Some names were more popular depending on the time of year; in December, Holly, Robyn and Joseph were more popular, whereas names like Summer and Autumn were popular in their respective seasons," the statement said.
The office further said that top names for boys had much higher counts than those for girls.
"Since there are more unique names for baby girls – 35,000 unique names and spellings compared with 29,560 for boys – it suggests parents are choosing from a smaller pool of names for boys than girls, increasing the prevalence of each boys' name," the statement said.
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