News UK, London

Muhammad has retained its position as the most popular name for baby boys born in England and Wales for the third consecutive year, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Around 6,000 baby boys were named Muhammad in 2025, nearly 2,000 more than Noah, which remained the second most popular boys’ name. The two names have occupied the top two positions since 2023, with the gap between them widening from 1,580 last year.

Leo and Luca climbed to third and fourth places, respectively, overtaking Arthur, Oliver and George in the latest rankings.

Two alternative spellings of the name also featured prominently. Mohammed ranked 20th and Mohammad 55th, accounting for an additional 2,600 births. The ONS records each spelling separately rather than combining them.

Among girls, Olivia continued to top the list as the most popular name, followed by Lily, Amelia, Isla and Florence.

Muhammad has consistently grown in popularity over the past three decades. The name entered the top 100 boys’ names in 1997 and has remained in the top 10 since 2016.

Historical records show that three spellings of Muhammad appeared in the top 100 names as early as 1954, while the spelling Mohammed first entered the rankings in 1924, when it was the 91st most popular boys’ name.

The different spellings reflect variations in the transliteration of the Arabic name into English. Mohammed is more commonly associated with the Middle East, while Muhammad is more widely used by people of Pakistani origin, the largest Muslim community in Britain.

The ONS noted that many of the most popular baby names in England and Wales have international origins. Among the current top names are Freya, of Scandinavian origin; Leo, Luca and Isabella, which have Italian roots; and Noah, derived from Hebrew.

The statistics office has previously attributed the continued popularity of Muhammad to several factors, including the growth of Britain’s Muslim population, which now numbers nearly four million people, or around 6% of the UK’s population.

The name remains especially popular among Muslim families, many of whom choose it to preserve cultural and religious heritage, while the overall range of names chosen for baby boys has become increasingly diverse.