Mohammed may replace Jack as favourite name in the UK

The name Mohammed has reportedly close replacing Jack as the most popular name for a boy in England and Wales.

London, Dec.20 : The name Mohammed has reportedly close replacing Jack as the most popular name for a boy in England and Wales.

According to The Telegraph, the name was second only to Jack in 2007, which has been top for the last 13 years, and by next year, it would be the first preference.

According to the report, at present the name Mohammed is in 17th place, and its position would be number two, if all 14 variant spellings of the name are taken into account.

While 6,772 boys were called Jack, 6,387 were called Mohammed or a variant.

An analysis by the Daily Telegraph of the names, compiled each year by the Office for National Statistics, shows there were 3,009 babies called Mohammed, the most popular spelling; 1,595 Muhammads, 903 Mohammads, 429 Muhammeds, 349 Mohameds, 39 Mohamads, 12 Muhameds, 11 Mohammods, nine Mohmmeds, eight Mohamuds, seven Mahammeds, six Muhammeets, five Mohmmads and five Muhammods.

There were 5,803 babies called Thomas, which is listed by the ONS as the second most popular name.

Muhammad is regularly cited as the most common name in the world. It means "one who is praiseworthy", and is often given to boys as an honorary prefix and is followed by the name by which they are commonly known.

Muhammad Anwar, professor of ethnic relations at Warwick University, said: "Muslim parents like to have something that shows a link with their religion or with the Prophet."

Overall, Muslims account for three per cent of the British population, about 1.5 million people. The name Mohammed first entered the top 30 in 2000.

Grace is the most popular girls' name.

The most popular names in Scotland are Lewis and Sophie, and in Northern Ireland are Jack and Katie.

The top 20 boys' and girls' names 2007 were as follows:

Boys: Jack, Thomas, Oliver, Joshua, Harry, Charlie, Daniel, William, James, Alfie, Samuel, George, Joseph, Benjamin, Ethan, Lewis, Mohammed, Jake, Dylan and Jacob

Girls: Grace, Ruby, Olivia, Emily, Jessica, Sophie, Chloe, Lily, Ella, Amelia, Lucy, Charlotte, Ellie, Mia, Evie, Hannah, Megan, Katie, Isabella and Isabelle

ANI