Muhammad has officially taken the top spot in England as the most popular baby boys' name for the first time.
The UK's statistics agency, the ONS, revealed there there were 4,177 boys named Muhammad registered in 2023. Noah, 2022’s most popular boys’ name, came in second, while Oliver was third.
So, what is behind the name's rise in Britain?
Historical factors
Britain's Muslim population stands at nearly four million, or about six per cent of the UK as a whole. While the name's popularity is clearly linked to inward migration, its history on the official UK register goes back more than a century.
Mohammed, spelt with an o, first appeared in the top 100 in the 1920s, when it ranked as the 91st most popular name for baby boys. It has featured in the top 100 most popular names for baby boys every decade since.
Britain first experienced a significant influx of Muslim immigrants in the late 1800s, particularly in the port cities such as London, Cardiff and Liverpool. Many of these arrivals were from Yemen and Egypt, although their numbers remained in the thousands.
"There were Muslim seamen in Britain in the 19th century and into the 20th, with little enclaves dotted around various coastal towns," David Coleman, a University of Oxford professor who specialises in the demographic consequences of migration and the demography of ethnic minorities, told The National.
But for decades their numbers remained tiny, when "all kinds of curious episodes" led to migration to Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, said Prof Coleman. They included the creation of the Mangla Dam in the Mirpur district of Pakistan, which diverted water, forcing around 100,000 people to leave. Thousands moved to the UK at the time. To this day, around two thirds of Britain’s Pakistani community, which is about one million people, have roots in the Mirpur region.
"That was possible because of the 1948 British Nationality Act, which the British government passed, which had confirmed the entitlement of all British subjects to enter the UK without let or hindrance," said Prof Coleman. "There had been an assumption that it was the case dating to the Second World War, but the Labour government had confirmed it as an absolute entitlement, not really keeping in mind the fact that there were 900 million people potentially entitled to do that."
Few expected that there was going to be any large influx of people from Asia, from Muslim countries, or anywhere else. The rule was primarily introduced to ensure that people from New Zealand, Australia, and Canada who had close personal links with Britain are always able to come back again, he said. And the fact that people started to come from, first the West Indies and then Asia, was something of a bit of a shock.
"Eventually, later on in the 1960s, employers realised this was actually a benefit for them because there were a number of failing industries in the north and Midlands, particularly to do with ironwork, particularly to do with textiles, where the wages were low, the profits were low and it was difficult to attract local people to do the work, especially on night shifts," said Prof Coleman.
At the start, it was mostly West Indians, but as the 1960s progressed, migrants became predominantly Asian. "To begin with, the birth rates among Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who were 80 per cent or 90 per cent were very high," said Prof Coleman. They have now moderated to a lower level but that made an additional contribution to the numbers. Migration flows have since become more diverse, with asylum seekers from conflict zones, such as Syria, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, seeking refuge in Britain.
It is no surprise, then, that Muhammad has become the most popular name, said Prof Coleman.
An ONS representative told The National that Muhammad has been in the top 10 most popular boys’ names since 2016, and in the top 100 since 1997. However, they noted that many other top 10 boys’ and girls’ names have non-British origins, including Freya (Scandinavia), Leo, Luca and Isabella (Italy), and Noah (Hebrew).
Variety of spellings
Muhammad has been the UK's most popular for some time if all spelling variations are taken into account, including Mohammad and Mohammed. Analysis shows that in total there were 7,362 babies born with the four most popular variations of the name, or about one in 42 boys.
The spelling Muhammad has enjoyed a nine-fold rise in popularity since the ONS began releasing annual data in the 1990s. In that same period, the variation Mohammed, meanwhile, has halved in prevalence since peaking in the late noughties with 1,644 registrations.
"The different spellings represent different transliterations of the name Muhammad from Arabic into different alphabets and different dialects – Mohammed tends to come from the Middle East, for example, whereas Muhammad tends to come from Pakistan", Dr Rebecca Gregory, a historical linguistics expert from the University of Nottingham, told The National.
"This might tell us something about the cultural origins of parents who use these spellings, but it may be more complicated than that. For example, parents may consider the form of a name which is best known in England and Wales, or most common among the people they know, or they may have no spelling preference at all."
It must be noted that the ONS only records names as they are entered on their birth certificate, meaning names can appear on the list more than once if they are shortened – known as hypocoristic naming. For example in 2022, Theo was the eighth most popular name, while Theodore, was ninth. If both were combined they would be the most popular boy's name in England and Wales.
Keeping to tradition
An estimated 150 million people have the name worldwide because of its significance within Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. As with elsewhere, Muslims living in England and Wales name their boys Muhammad out of respect for Islam, but increasingly as a way to remind children of their heritage as they grow up in a non-Muslim country.
Dr Gregory said parents can choose to use naming as a way to assert their cultural identity. She referred to a study in the US that found first-generation immigrants tended to use names which aligned more with names common in their newly adopted country, but second-generation parents chose to use names strongly associated with their families' Ethiopian roots.
While British Muslims often select names traditional to them, the same is not quite as true for British society as a whole. Statistics show that given names such as Henry, David and Albert have fallen out of favour in the past century, with more modern names such as Arlo now in the top 20.
Between 1996 and 2015 there was a 66 per cent increase in the number of unique names used for baby boys, from 16,817 names to 27,870 names.
The number of live births have fallen considerably in Britain since the 1990s. There were 591,000 births recorded in Britain in 2023, the lowest figure since 1940 when the UK's population was significantly smaller. Data shows just 310,000 boys were born in 2022, compared to almost 375,000 one decade earlier.
Muhammad has continued its steady climb up the rankings while fewer children are being born. For example, more than 10,000 boys were given the names Jack and Daniel in 1996, more than double the figure of the most popular name in 2023.
Cultural factors
Experts also say the name remains ever popular in Britain owing to a number of important sporting and cultural figures who share the name. These include Muhammad Ali, Mohamed Farah and Mohamed Salah.
"Names have always followed fashion and cultural trends, and well-known figures will inspire many baby names. In the case of Muhammad, the name itself will always be popular in Muslim communities because of its namesake, but spelling variations may be influenced by famous bearers of the name", said Dr Gregory.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Brackets denote aggregate score
Tuesday:
Roma (1) v Shakhtar Donetsk (2), 11.45pm
Manchester United (0) v Sevilla (0), 11.45pm
Wednesday:
Besiktas (0) v Bayern Munich (5), 9pm
Barcelona (1) v Chelsea (1), 11.45pm
The%20specs
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Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
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Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SQUADS
South Africa:
Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada
Coach: Ottis Gibson
Bangladesh:
Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.
Coach: Chandika Hathurusingha
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Price, base / as tested: Dh76,900 / Dh110,900
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: Torque: 352Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.5L / 100km
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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The biog
Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza
Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine
France is her favourite country to visit
Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family
Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter
Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country
The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns
Her motto is to never stop working for the country
More on Quran memorisation:
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
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.”
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scoreline:
Al Wahda 2
Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'