Muhammad has overtaken Noah as the most popular baby name for boys in England and Wales, new figures show.
In total, 4,661 boys were named Muhammad last year, 484 more than in 2022, knocking the name Noah into second place with 4,382, down from 4,586 the previous year.
It is the first time the name has been number one.
There are three iterations of the name – Muhammad, Mohammed and Mohammad – in the top 100 list because the Office for National Statistics, which compiles the data, does not combine spellings. Three spellings of the name were also in the top 100 in 1954.
Muhammad is by far the most popular spelling last year, however, with the others in 28th and 68th place, respectively. It has been in the top 10 since 2016 and in the top 100 since 1997.
The spelling Mohammed first entered the top 100 boys' names for England and Wales at 91st place in 1924.
A spokeswoman for the ONS told The National its popularity was down to its religious significance.
It has previously said the name's dominance was due to a number of factors, including the increasing size of the Muslim community, which rose from 1.5 million in 2001, to 2.7 million people in 2011 and to 3.9 million in 2021.
The name remains dominant among Muslims, but its rise coincides with increasing diversity in names for baby boys generally, said the ONS. It could also be becoming more popular among Muslims living in the UK to remind them of their heritage growing up in a non-Muslim country, it added.
Oliver replaced George as the third most popular boys' name, followed by Leo, Arthur, Luca, Theodore and Oscar.
Olivia, Amelia and Isla held the top three spots for baby girl names for the second consecutive year, with Olivia maintaining the top rank since 2016.
The data shows that Muhammad was the most popular boys' name in four out of nine regions in England and 63rd most popular in Wales.
Meanwhile, Olivia was the most popular girls' name in five out of nine regions in England and the most popular in Wales. Lily, Freya, Ava, Ivy, Florence, Willow and Isabella round out the top 10.
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.
Names including Holly, Robyn and Joseph were more popular in December, while Summer and Autumn were popular in their respective seasons.
The ONS said that the world of celebrity appeared to have influenced the increased popularity of some names, citing babies named Reign and Saint after those from the Kardashian-Jenner family and a rise in those sharing the names of pop musicians such as Billie Eilish.
However, it said names shared with members of the royal family, such as Charles, George, and Harry, were becoming less popular.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
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Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
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Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
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2012 - MC
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2014 - MC
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July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
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