A new list for the top 10 most popular baby boy names has shown the name of the Prophet (peace be upon him) at the top in the US for the first time, Huff Post reported.
The name rose from the 14th place in 2018 to 10th place in 2019, according to data collected from US parents by BabyCenter.
“Muhammad’s been rising on BabyCenter top baby name lists around the world, so we knew it would soon break into the US top 10,” Linda Murray, BabyCenter’s global editor in chief, said in a press release.
The name means of the Muslim Prophet means “praised” or “praiser of God” and is thought to be one of the most popular names worldwide, leading some men to shorten it or use their middle names.
The findings are based on data from nearly 600,000 parents who shared their babies’ names with the site in 2019.
The site noted that in order to “capture true popularity,” its list combines names that sound similar but have alternate spellings (like Muhammad and Mohammed).
Another Arabic-origin name, Aaliyah, ranked this year’s 10th most popular name for American baby girls on BabyCenter.
Though the first time for the name Muhammad in the top 10 list in the US, it has been popular for decades in the UK.
Since the 1970s, the name of Muhammad, also written as Mohammad, has become the most popular baby name in the UK, jumping 27 places up to knock royal names from the top.
The name of Muhammed has grown in popularity in recent years.
In 2016, a list for the top 100 baby names for boys in the UK showed the name Muhammad at the top in both London and the West Midlands.
In 2013, the name Muhammad became the most popular name for newborn babies in England and Wales.
In 2009, the name of the Prophet became the most popular name for newborn babies in England and Wales.
Mohamed came third as the most popular name in Britain in 2008.