The Office for National Statistics has released its annual list of the most popular baby names in England and Wales, with Muhammad topping the boys' rankings for the third consecutive year and Olivia leading the girls' list for a fourth year. The figures reflect wider demographic and cultural shifts, and the persistence of Muhammad at number one has again drawn attention to the changing composition of names given to newborns.

In 2025, a total of 5,957 boys were registered with the specific spelling "Muhammad", a 4 per cent increase on the previous year. Noah and Leo followed in second and third place for boys, while Luca saw the biggest rise of the past decade, climbing 49 places to fourth, and Oliver fell five places. Jude rose 47 places over the decade to 14th, possibly linked to footballer Jude Bellingham. Among girls, Lily moved up to second, pushing Amelia into third, with Isla, Florence and Freya also featuring. The name Muhammad means "praiseworthy", derived from the Arabic "hamad", and different spellings of the name have appeared in the top 100 for a century, with "Mohammed" first debuting at 91st in 1924.