Muhammad Tops UK Baby Name Charts for Third Straight Year

Muhammad has once again claimed the top spot as the most popular baby boy name in England and Wales. This marks the third consecutive year the name has held this position, with approximately six thousand boys receiving the name in 2025. This figure is nearly two thousand more than Noah, which secured the second rank.

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Muhammad and Noah have occupied the top two positions since 2023, with the gap between them widening compared to the previous year.

Both Muhammad and Noah have consistently occupied the top two positions since 2023, with the gap between them widening compared to previous years. Other names like Leo and Luca have climbed into the third and fourth places, surpassing Arthur, Oliver, and George. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) notes that different spellings are counted separately; Mohammed ranked 20th and Mohammad 55th, together accounting for an additional 2,600 babies.

For girls, Olivia remains the most popular name, followed by Lily, Amelia, Isla, and Florence. Muhammad has been a fixture in the top 10 boy names since 2016 and has appeared in the top 100 annually since 1997. The spelling Mohammed first entered the top 100 in 1924, and three distinct spellings have appeared in the rankings since 1954. These variations reflect different transliterations of the Arabic name into English, linked to distinct linguistic and cultural traditions. The ONS suggests Mohammed is more commonly associated with the Middle East, while Muhammad is more frequently used within the British Pakistani Muslim community.

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Mohammed is more commonly associated with the Middle East, while Muhammad is more frequently used within the British Pakistani Muslim community.

The ONS attributes the name's enduring popularity to several factors. These include the growth of the Muslim population in the UK, which now numbers close to four million, representing about 6 percent of the total population. The statistics agency also observes that many of the country's most popular baby names, such as Freya, Leo, Luca, Isabella, and Noah, have international origins.

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The continued popularity of the name reflects several factors, including the growth of the Muslim population in the UK, which now numbers nearly four million people, or about 6 percent of the UK population.