The official 2025 figures are now available for the most popular names for babies born in England last year, with Muhammad topping the list for boys’ names for the third consecutive year. In total, 5,957 newborns last year were called Muhammad.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) noted how spelling variations of the name were also frequent, with Mohammed in 20th place (1,712 names) and Mohammad in 55th position (895 boys). This should be interpreted with caution—and not (quite) as evidence of ‘replacement theory’—because many of these boys, like their male siblings, will have the name of the Prophet on their birth certificate but grow up using their second names or a nickname. There is a concentration within Muslim communities in England on a single boy’s name not found with Noah, last year’s second most popular choice.
Nevertheless, the popularity of Muhammad and its variants does point to demographic change in England. This prompts mainstream media, such as public broadcaster the BBC, to dance around the issue. Its news website leads with female names (Olivia holding “the top spot for the 10th year in a row” and “Lily moving up the charts into second place for girls.”)
Europeanconservative.com previously reported on how Central Europe is defying the similar naming trends found throughout Western Europe.
Separately, the same year’s ONS figures show there were no newborn baby boys named ‘Keir.’
