Mohammed Now Second Most Popular Name In UK

Fact checked

Why is the British government trying to hide the fact that name Mohammed has rocketed up the charts to become the second most popular name in the country?

Mohammed is now the second most popular boys name in the UK, according to a new study that the government has attempted to cover up.

Mohammed is now the second most popular boys name in the UK, a new study reveals.

The top 100, which was compiled by parenting site BabyCentre, also highlights how comic book-inspired names Kara (Supergirl), Harley and Quinn (Suicide Squad) and Felicity and Thea (Aarow) have all climbed the chart, but none as high as the name inspired by a 5th century religious warlord who had thirteen wives, one of whom was 9 years old.

This is an uncomfortable fact for the government, it seems, as evidence has emerged of an attempt to cover up this fact from the public at large.

The Office of National Statistics (ONC) put out its annual survey of the top 10 baby names, but attempted to obscure the fact Mohammed was so high on the list. The Spectator reports that in 2014, the ONC reported that the most popular boys’ names were Oliver, Jack and Harry. However after Mohammed shot to the top of the list in 2015 and 2016, the ONC tried to suppress this information from the British public.

When that survey was reported in the Daily Mail it was jumped upon by various left-wing ‘fact-checker’ websites who denounced the survey as an abuse of statistics. Not only were the figures based only on respondents to a single website – which is true – but they had been arrived at by the ‘dubious’ means of adding together various spellings of Mohammed, while ignoring different spellings of other names. Though the Mail reported the survey purely as a matter of interest – as did the Guardian, in fact – the accusation was clear: the tabloids were yet again trying to stir up fears of Britain being over-run by Muslims.

Yet when you look beyond the ONS press release – which makes no mention of the name Mohammud other than revealing that that variant of spelling is the most popular name in London – you get a different story. Examine the spreadsheet on the ONS website, and the raw figures reinforce the BabyCentre survey: Mohammed really was the single most popular name in 2015 and the second most popular in 2016. The totals it gives are Muhammad 3588, Mohammed 2536, Mohammad 1116, a total of 7240. There were, by contrast, 6649 Olivers, 5804 Jacks and 5379 Harrys. You can get to 7555 if you add the Olivers to the 906 Ollies. But then Oliver and Ollie are not really the same name.  The latter is a shortened, bastardised version of the former. Muhammad/Mohammed/Mohammad, on the other hand, are different transliterations of the same name, and are pronounced the same. There is no other name where different spellings come close to challenging it.

Ten years ago, the ONS was quite happy to announce in its press release that Mohammed had snuck in the backdoor of the top 20 most popular baby’s names.  But now it seems it has become shy of informing us that it is now one of the most popular boys’ name in England and Wales.

For the record, here is the UK’s top baby names 2016

Girls

Olivia (non -mover)

Lily (+ 1 place)

Sophia (- 1 place)

Emily (non-mover)

Amelia (non – mover)

Ava (new entry +5 places)

Isla (new entry +5 places)

Isabella (+ 2 places)

Isabelle (- 2 places)

Sophie (-2 places)

Boys

Oliver (+1 place)

Muhammed (-1 place)

Noah (+1 place)

Harry (+2 places)

Jack (- 2 places)

Charlie (+1 place)

Jacob (-2 places)

George (+ 4 places)

Ethan (- 1 places)

Henry (+8 places)

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry is a writer at The People's Voice. He covers politics, business and entertainment. Speaking truth to power since he learned to talk, Baxter has travelled in over 80 countries and won arguments in every single one. Live without fear.
Email: baxter@thepeoplesvoice.tv
Baxter Dmitry