Muhammad has once again emerged as the most popular name given to baby boys in England and Wales, marking the third consecutive year it has topped the rankings.
The latest figures, released on Thursday by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), showed that 5,957 baby boys were named Muhammad in 2025, making it the most common boys’ name across England and Wales.
The report also revealed that Muhammad remained the number one boys’ name in every month throughout 2025, underlining its sustained popularity.
Other spellings of the name also featured prominently on the list. Mohammed ranked 20th, with 1,712 babies given that spelling, while Mohammad came 55th after being chosen for 895 newborn boys.
Commenting on the trend, Clare Green, an expert with baby-naming website Nameberry, said the result was unsurprising, noting that popular names tend to remain dominant for long periods.
“Changes at the top of the chart happen very slowly, and once a name becomes popular, it usually remains popular for a long time,” Green said.
She explained that familiarity plays a significant role in the spread of names, adding that as more parents choose a particular name, it becomes increasingly accepted and attractive to others.
“Names can gradually gain acceptance; when many people name their children a particular name, other parents continue to hear it and begin to like it. That further spreads it like wildfire,” she said.
Beyond Muhammad, the most popular names for baby boys in 2025 were Noah, Leo, Luca and Arthur. They were followed by Oliver, George, Oscar, Theodore and Freddie.
For baby girls, Olivia retained its position as the most popular name for the 10th consecutive year, with 5,000 girls receiving the name.
Other leading girls’ names were Lily, Amelia, Isla, Florence, Freya, Poppy, Elsie, Ivy and Isabella.
