What’s in a name? Population Authority reveals Israel’s most popular baby names ahead of Rosh Hashanah

Mohammed, Ariel and Avigail took the top spots in Israel’s latest baby-name rankings, released by the Population and Immigration Authority ahead of Rosh Hashanah. The authority said 179,398 babies had been registered in Israel’s Population Registry by Sunday morning, September 6.

Mohammed was the most common boys’ name across Israel’s general population. Ariel followed, then Yosef, Adam, David, Omer, Rafael, Lavi, Michael and Eitan. Among Jewish boys, Ariel ranked first, followed by David, Rafael, Lavi, Uri, Michael, Eliya, Eitan, Yehuda and Ari.

Ariel’s lead continues a strong run in recent years. Population and Immigration Authority figures also placed it first among Jewish boys in 2024, ahead of David and Lavi. Other data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, covering children born in 2024, placed David first among Jewish boys, followed by Levi and Ariel.

Avigail led the girls’ rankings both nationwide and among Jewish Israelis. Miriam, Lia, Libi, Tamar, Yael, Ayala, Sarah, Ella and Naya followed in the overall list. Among Jewish girls, Libi ranked second, followed by Tamar, Yael, Lia, Ella, Ayala, Sarah, Noa and Naya. Avigail also topped the Jewish girls’ rankings in 2024, while traditional and biblical names remained prominent in the CBS data.

Mohammed’s nationwide lead also continues a pattern seen in previous years. The name topped the boys’ list in data released ahead of Rosh Hashanah in 2022, when Adam and Yosef followed. Jerusalem recorded the largest number of registered births in 5786, with 23,336, followed by Bnei Brak with 8,225 and Tel Aviv-Jaffa with 7,405. Beit Shemesh recorded 6,974 births, Ashdod 4,031 and Haifa 3,421.