Muhammad is now the preferred child boy title in England because the Kardashians and ‘Barbenheimer’ encourage rise in mother and father selecting likes of Reign, Margot and Cilian over conventional Royal monikers

Muhammad is officially the most name for baby boys in England and Wales for 2023, data show.

Office for National Statistics figures released this morning reveal that 4,661 boys were named Muhammad in the UK last year  – the most of any other and 484 more than in 2022.

Last year’s winner Noah (then-4,586) slid to 4,382 in 2023, enough to clinch second place while Oliver (3,556) claimed last year’s third-place name George (3,494).

The biggest gainer in the top 15 boys names was Luca, which jumped from 12th position last year with 2,625 namings to 7th this year with 3,195. 

Henry, too, jumped from 13th (2,624) last year to tenth (2,490).

Of the top 100 boys names, Bodhi saw the highest one year leap in rankings, going from 637th to 100th and Chester saw the second highest year-on-year growth, from 581st in 2022 to 89th.

On the girls side, Olivia, which came in top last year, has retained the top spot despite losing ground in the total number of names given from 3,289 in 2022 to 2906.

Second and third also remain unchanged from 2022, seeing Amelia, followed by Isla. 

Ava fell from 4th place in 2022 (2,293) to 6th this time around with 2,050 namings, while Willow jumped into the top 10, placing ninth with 1,833 namings. 

The girls names top 100 saw higher year-on-year volatility in rankings change than the boys. 

The only four-digit rankings leap across either gender came from Nova, which took 81st, having sat in 1,128th spot last year. 

The 2023 figures confirm Muhammad’s status at the top of the rankings. 

But that trend has been running for a lot longer if other spellings of the name are accounted for.

While there is no definitive answer pointing to the popularity of the name, increasing sizes of Muslim communities across the UK and popularity of sporting figures such as Mohamed (Mo) Farah, Mohamed Salah and Muhammad Ali are likely to play their part. 

Elsewhere in the world of celebrity, Hollywood still holds a major sway over Brits’ naming habits. 

 In 2023, it was the turn of heartthrobs Cillian Murphy and Margot Robbie to assert them selves into the public’s conscience. 

With the releases of their box office smash hits Oppenheimer and Barbie last summer, Robbie in particular saw a major boost to namesakes in England and Wales, nearly doubling between February and July 2023.