LONDON, ENGLAND — For the second consecutive year, Muhammad has been named the most popular baby boy name in the United Kingdom, according to newly released figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The data, compiled from birth registrations across England and Wales, shows that in 2024, 5,721 baby boys were named Muhammad, more than any other single name.
When combined with variant spellings such as Mohammed (ranked 21st) and Mohammad (ranked 53rd), the total number of newborn boys given the name rises to over 8,400, a figure that eclipses every other name in the country by a wide margin.
A Name, A Shift
Trailing Muhammad were traditional British and biblical names: Noah (just over 4,000), followed by Oliver, Arthur, and Leo. No other name approached Muhammad’s dominance, which has grown steadily over the past decade.
While girls’ names in 2024, led by Olivia, Amelia, and Lily, still reflect native naming conventions, the boys’ list tells a different story. Islamic names are not only present, but leading, marking a broader demographic trend reshaping the nation’s cultural landscape.
Behind the Numbers
Mainstream explanations often focus on naming habits. It is frequently argued that Muslim families are more likely to choose the name Muhammad—out of religious reverence—than non-Muslim families, who distribute their preferences across a wider variety of names. This explanation, while technically correct, omits the underlying cause: Britain’s growing Muslim population.
According to census data:
- In 2001, Muslims made up 3% of the population of England and Wales.
- By 2011, that figure rose to 4.8%.
- As of 2021, it had reached 6.5%, representing nearly 4 million people.
Independent demographers estimate that 9–10% of all babies born in the UK today are to Muslim families. This estimate is consistent with the ONS findings, which place Muhammad and its spelling variants far above any other boys’ name in the country.
Cultural Identity and Religious Assertion
While naming patterns differ among communities, the cultural weight of the name Muhammad should not be overlooked. In Islamic tradition, naming a son after the Prophet Muhammad is considered an act of piety and devotion. It is often viewed as a way of honoring faith and preserving religious identity across generations.
This religious and cultural uniformity contrasts sharply with naming trends among non-Muslim Britons, where names are often chosen for aesthetic or familial reasons rather than religious symbolism.
Sociologist David Voas, a professor at University College London, noted in a previous analysis that the popularity of Muhammad reflects not only naming convention but also “community coherence and cultural retention”, factors increasingly relevant in discussions about integration and national identity.
More Than a Name
The rise of Muhammad as Britain’s top baby name is not simply a demographic detail, it is a cultural signal. It reflects:
- Sustained high birth rates among British Muslims
- Two decades of mass immigration from Muslim-majority countries
- A strong sense of religious and cultural identity, often absent in secular native communities
While some view these changes as natural evolution within a pluralistic society, others warn that such trends point to deeper cultural fragmentation and demographic imbalance.
A Politicized Pattern
The growing dominance of Islamic names on official birth registries parallels wider societal trends, such as the growth of Islamic political influence, the expansion of Islamic education networks, and the increasing visibility of parallel community structures across Britain.
In this context, the popularity of the name Muhammad is more than a benign statistical fact. It represents a community on the rise, a faith group consolidating its presence, and a society struggling to maintain a cohesive identity amid rapid demographic change.
The Broader Implications
Britain’s baby name rankings are no longer a cultural curiosity. They are becoming a reflection of which groups are growing, asserting themselves, and shaping the nation’s future.
Whether seen as progress or warning, the numbers speak for themselves.
Muhammad is not just the most common baby boy name in Britain. It is a symbol, of faith, of identity, and of the United Kingdom’s changing face.
