The Office for National Statistics released its annual baby names data Thursday showing Muhammad as the most popular name for boys in England and Wales for the third straight year.
Olivia remained the top girls' name for the 10th consecutive year, according to birth registration data from 2025. The figures reflect names given to more than 585,000 babies born in England and Wales last year.
Muhammad led boys' names, followed by Noah, Leo, Luca, Arthur, Oliver, George, Oscar, Theodore and Freddie. For girls, Olivia was followed by Lily, Amelia, Isla, Florence, Freya, Poppy, Elsie, Ivy and Isabella.
Muhammad is the most popular baby boy name in England and Wales in 2025, for the third straight year. pic.twitter.com/U9FtSSmN5T
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) July 9, 2026
The ONS noted Muhammad has been in the top 10 for boys since 2016 and was the most popular in four of nine English regions. Olivia topped girls' names in three English regions and in Wales.
The data counts exact spellings separately, so variants like Mohammed rank lower but when combined highlight cultural influences. The top 10 names accounted for about 9.1 percent of all births.
New entries in the top 100 included Eliana, Gracie and Anaya for girls, and Vincent, Carter and Stanley for boys. Names rising fastest included Ada for girls and Roman for boys.
The annual release provides a snapshot of cultural and demographic trends in the UK. Experts say the popularity of Muhammad reflects higher birth rates in Muslim communities, which make up about 7 percent of the population, alongside traditional naming practices.
The ONS data is based on all live births registered in England and Wales. Similar trends have been seen in previous years, with Olivia consistently popular for girls.
No major changes were noted in overall birth numbers compared to recent years.
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