Muhammad became the most popular boy’s baby name in the Irish city of Galway last year, data published on Friday by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) revealed.
It is the first time the popular Islamic name has topped the list of baby names in an Irish city, and follows the trend of the U.K. and other European nations that have seen the name top the charts in recent years.
Jack and Noah dominated in other Irish counties, while James made up the top three. All three names retain their places in the top three from last year.
Emily, Grace, and Fiadh made up the top three most-popular girl’s names across the country.
The city of Galway can be viewed as something of an anomaly with Muhammad placed 86th in the nationwide ranking, although the name has grown in popularity and is up from 109th in 2021.
The different variations of the spelling can often conflate data, with Muhammed, Mohamed, and Mohammed all being acceptable alterations of the name, along with several others.
Mohammad has been the most popular boy’s baby name in the U.K. for the past six years, while it was the second-most popular name in the Netherlands last year.
It was also by far the most popular name for baby boys in the Belgian capital of Brussels last year and has also topped the chart in Berlin, the Parisian suburbs, and the Swedish city of Malmo in recent years.
The French civil registry reported in 2021 that at least 20 percent of all babies born in France were being given Islamic first names, and the true figure could be closer to 25 percent.
