The top baby names in England and Wales were revealed today, with Muhammad taking the top spot for the second year in a row.
More than 5,721 boys were given the specific spelling of Muhammad in 2024, a rise of 23 per cent on last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Noah came in second, with Oliver in third, just as they did in 2023. Four Keirs were born in 2023, but none last year after Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister.
Olivia and Amelia held the top two spots for baby girl names for the third year in a row, but Isla dropped out of the top three after being replaced by Lily.
Olivia has been in the top three for girls’ names every year since 2006, with 2,761 girls given the name in 2024.
2024 marks the second time just one spelling of the Muhammad has topped the charts, although when all thirty-plus iterations are grouped together it has been the most common for over a decade, the Daily Mail’s analysis suggests.
Each year the ONS analyses the latest baby name data, uncovering trends in how certain names have fallen out of favour or soared in popularity.
The biggest gainer in the top 25 list of girl’s names was May, which has jumped 14 places compared to last year, with 1,592 namings in total. Bonnie saw the second largest rise – going up 10 places.
For boys, Rory rose fastest year on year, followed by Elijah.
Mohammed, a different spelling, entered the top 100 boys’ names for England and Wales 100 years ago, debuting at 91st in 1924.
Its prevalence dropped considerably in the lead up to and during WW2 but began to rise in the 1960s.
That particular iteration of the name was the only one to appear in the ONS’ top 100 data from 1924 until Mohammad joined in the early 1980s.
Muhammad, now the most popular of the trio, first broke into the top 100 in the mid-1980s and has seen the fastest growth of all three iterations since.
The name means ‘praiseworthy’ or ‘commendable’ and stems from the Arabic word ‘hamad’ meaning ‘to praise’ and is shared with the founder of Islam, the prophet Muhammad.
Increasing sizes of Muslim communities across the UK fuelled by immigration, as well as the popularity of sporting figures such as Mo Farah, Mohamed Salah and Muhammad Ali are likely to have sparked the increase.
The ONS only provides statistics based on the exact spelling and does not group names, as some groupings are subjective and not straightforward.
Royal names continued to fall in popularity on the whole.
George ranked sixth with 3,257 babies being given the name and William came in 27th.
Louis came in 47th for boys and Charlotte ranked 23rd for girls.
And despite an initial boost in popularity for the name Meghan after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement in 2017, it saw an 83 per cent decrease last year to just 17 babies.
Names given to baby boys less than five times in 2024 include Cuthbert, Crispin, Awesome and Beckham.
Names given to baby girls less than five times include Orchid, Poem, Sicily and Everest.
Previous analysis of baby names show they now come from a much wider range of countries and languages than they used to.
The favourite baby names at the turn of the millennium were predominantly of English, Hebrew and Latin origin.
Now, two decades later, Italian, Arabic, Norse, and even Scottish-Spanish names also top the list.
Experts say parents now have a much broader frame of reference, and that there’s a ‘real shift’ away from traditional choices.
Analysis, carried out by English language classes platform Preply, showed the majority of the most popular names in 2004 were of English, Hebrew or Latin origin.
These included Jack, Joshua, Daniel, Emily and Jessica.
Other popular names from that era were of Greek, Germanic and Celtic origin.
But fast-forward to 2024 and a range of other cultural names are also in the top 20 list.
These include Isla, which is Scottish/Spanish, the Italian Luca, and Freya, which is originally Norse.
‘As a nation, we’re much more exposed to and connected with other cultures than we’ve ever been,’ a spokeswoman for Preply said.
‘The media we consume, the communities we engage with online, and global migration, have all played a key role in this shift.
‘Parents now have a much broader frame of reference.
‘Now that we’re familiar with more cross-cultural names, they feel modern, accessible, and stylish.
‘Most of these names aren’t necessarily new, they’re just new to us!’
They said names of Scandinavian and French origin, such as Evelyn and Mia, have begun making an appearance in the UK’s top names lists, which they didn’t in 2014 or 2004.
‘This reflects a growing cultural diversity and openness to global influences in baby naming trends,’ they added.
‘We’re also seeing a growing number of names with mythological or historical roots, like Phoebe and Ivy, being embraced by parents today.
‘Overall, there’s a real shift away from traditional choices in favour of names that feel unique and memorable.’
In America, Liam and Olivia were the most popular names in 2024, marking their sixth consecutive year as the most popular baby names in the US.
Last year marked the eighth year in a row that Liam held the number one spot for boys, while Olivia led the girls’ list for the sixth year in a row.
The number two spots remained unchanged for the sixth consecutive year, with Emma holding steady for girls and Noah for boys.
Luna dropped out of the girls’ Top 10 names in 2024, making way for Sofia, which entered the list at number 10 for the very first time.
Following Liam, the top boys’ names in order were: Noah, Oliver, Theodore, James, Henry, Mateo, Elijah, Lucas and William.
After Olivia, the most common girls’ names were: Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, Mia, Sophia, Isabella, Evelyn, Ava and Sofia.
Separately, UK experts have analysed personal injury claims and identified the ‘unluckiest’ names, which are most likely to have suffered slips, trips, falls and workplace incidents.
Some of the unluckiest names are more than 20 per cent more likely than the average person to file a personal injury claim, they revealed.
And it’s bad news for people called David or Joanne – as they top their respective lists.
Researchers analysed personal injury claims submitted to Edwards Hoyle solicitors over the space of a year.
The data revealed that the name David accounted for a larger share of claimants than any other male name.
Odds analysis suggests a man named David is a fifth more likely than average to file a personal injury claim.
The news is enough to make David Beckham and David Attenborough pay special attention to their everyday safety.
