Mohammed has become the most common name for newborn boys across several Western European capitals—while cities such as Warsaw remain a rare holdout.
In Berlin, London, and Oslo, variants of the name now top the rankings. In contrast, the Polish capital continues to favour traditional names, with “Nikodem” leading ahead of Antoni and Jan.
In Oslo, according to Norway’s statistical authority, Statistisk sentralbyrå, “Mohammad” ranked first among boys’ names in 2024, with seventy-eight registrations, ahead of Filip (sixty-eight) and Ludvig (sixty-three). In 2025, it remained the most common name, with eighty-two newborns given the name, ahead of Jakob and Oskar, with seventy-three each. The name has led the rankings in the Norwegian capital for at least sixteen years.
Germany shows a similar pattern. Reports from Tagesspiegel and rbb24 indicate that “Mohammed” was the most common boys’ name in Berlin and Brandenburg in 2024, followed by Liam and Henry. The name has remained at the top for several years.
In the United Kingdom, data from the Office for National Statistics show that “Mohammed” or “Muhammad” was the most popular boys’ name nationwide in 2023, with more than 4,600 registrations, rising to 5,721 in 2024. In major cities such as London and Manchester, where the Muslim population is larger, the lead is particularly pronounced.
The trend is also reflected in German welfare statistics. The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has highlighted that, when all spelling variants are combined, Mohammed becomes the most common first name among recipients of Bürgergeld, Germany’s basic income support. Nearly 40,000 entries across nineteen spellings place it ahead of traditional German names such as Michael (around 24,600 entries) and Ahmad (just over 20,600).
In the Netherlands, individual counts place “Adam” first. However, variants of Mohammed—including Mohammed, Mohamed, Muhammad, and Muhammed—rank between third and seventh; taken together, they would also place first overall.
