The most popular name for boys in Britain is Muhammad — far outpacing the previous winner, Oliver.
According to records from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), more than 8,000 babies born in 2013 were given a variation of the Muslim prophet's name, making it the year's top choice among parents in England and Wales. The name's No. 1 ranking was first reported by
Breitbart.com.
The spelling Muhammad ranked 15th on a list of top names complied by the agency, given to 3,499 boys; Mohammed was 23rd, with 2,887; Mohammad placed 57th, given 1,059 times; and Muhammed ranked 108th, with 561.
In total, 8,006 boys got one of the top four spellings of the name, compared to Oliver, which was given to 6,949 boys, the ONS figures show.
At least 18 other variations of Muhammad appear on the list, each given to a small number of boys.
The choice of Muhammad is widespread among the three million Muslims who live in Britain, Brietbart said. Many of them name at least one son after the prophet — making it more popular among Muslims than Christians.
By contrast, Muhammad was No. 61 on the ONS list in 2002, Breitbart reports. The number of Muslims in Britain has doubled since then.
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