Mohammed tops boys’ names in England, Wales for second consecutive year

The name Mohammed has topped the list of most popular boys’ names in England and Wales for the second year in a row, according to new data published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) and reported by Sky News.

The 2024 list shows Noah in second place and Oliver in third, maintaining the top three boys’ names from 2023.

Among girls, Olivia and Amelia remained the two most common names for the third consecutive year. However, Isla dropped out of the top ranks, replaced by Lily. Olivia has consistently appeared in the top three since 2006, with 2,761 girls named Olivia in 2024.

The ONS rankings are based on exact spellings of names registered at birth, meaning variations like Muhammad, Mohamad, and Mohammed are counted separately. In total, three different spellings of Mohammed appeared in the top 100 most popular boys’ names.

The data also showed a continued decline in royal-inspired names. George ranked sixth among boys, with 3,257 births, while William came in at 27th and Louis at 47th. For girls, Charlotte placed 23rd.

Some rare and unique names were also recorded fewer than five times, including Cuthbert, Crispin, Awesome, and Beckham for boys, and Orchid, Beam, Sicily, and Everest for girls.