Germany’s welfare statistics have reignited the debate over migration and integration after new figures revealed that ‘Mohammed’ and its many spelling variants have become the most common first name among recipients of Bürgergeld, the country’s basic income support.
The revelation emerged after a follow-up parliamentary enquiry by AfD MP René Springer, who demanded clarification of earlier figures published by the federal government.
In the initial release, names were listed separately according to spelling, meaning that common variants of the same name appeared much further down the ranking. For example, ‘Mohammad’ was counted separately from ‘Mohamed’ or ‘Muhammad.’
Once all variations were grouped, Mohammed came first, with nearly 40,000 recorded entries across 19 different spellings. That total put it well ahead of ‘Michael’ (including Michel, Mischa, and Maik) with about 24,600 entries, and ‘Ahmad’ (including Achmet and Amed) with just over 20,600.
By comparison, traditionally German names such as Andreas and Thomas fell back in the rankings, despite their high frequency in single forms.
At the end of 2024, 5.42 million people in Germany received Bürgergeld, of whom 52% were German citizens and 48% foreign nationals. Officials emphasised that first names do not necessarily reveal a person’s nationality or migration status.
Nevertheless, the data speaks for itself.
In a statement, the right-wing opposition Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) accused the centrist government of having initially concealed the fact that Mohammed was the leading name among Bürgergeld claimants.
The party said that 23 of the 50 most common names pointed to a migration background and renewed its demand that “Bürgergeld should only be for Germans” and that “mass migration into the welfare system must be stopped.”
Earlier this year, baby name statistics showed that Mohammed was also the most popular name for newborn boys in three states—Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg—in 2024.
In Hesse it came second, while, in North Rhine-Westphalia, it ranked third. Nationwide, Mohammed and its variants rose from 15th place in 2023 to 11th last year.
