Daily Mail reported on December 5 that Muhammad is now the most popular name for baby boys in England and Wales, toppling Noah in the official rankings.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) was cited as saying that more than 4,600 boys were given the specific spelling of Muhammad in 2023. This was reportedly almost 500 more than in 2022.
The number of Noahs, meanwhile, slid from 4,586 to 4,382. Oliver, which ranked third, also saw a slight drop in prevalence.
It marks the first time just one spelling of the Islamic name has topped the charts, although when all thirty-plus iterations are grouped together it has been the most common for over a decade, MailOnline analysis suggests.
Each year the ONS analyses the latest baby name data, uncovering trends in how certain names have fallen out of favor or soared in popularity.
