The name Muhammad was listed as a top 10 most popular name for American baby boys in 2019.
Two Arabic names were included in the top names, with Aaliyah climbing into the top 10 for baby girls, according to a list compiled by Baby Center. The website, which touts itself as the “world’s number one digital parenting resource,” with seven in 10 expecting mothers in the United States visiting the site last year, created the list by asking 600,000 of its users what they named their child. Both Muhammad and Aaliyah were ranked 10 out of the list of 100 names.
Other top 10 boy names included Liam, Jackson, Noah, and Aiden. Top girl names included Olivia, Sophia, Ava, and Amelia.
The Baby Center’s list differs from the annual list constructed by the Social Security Administration. According to their data, Mohammad was ranked as the 345th most popular baby name in 2018. The name has grown in recent years, however. In 2000, Mohammad was the 620th most popular name.
The disparity between the Baby Center’s data and the Social Security Administration’s list could be because the Baby Center eliminated similar spellings of names, such as Mohammad, Mohammed, or Muhammad, while the administration does not.
BabyCenter’s Global Editor-In-Chief Linda Murray had a feeling the name would break into the top 10, telling the Sun, “Muslim families often choose Muhammad for firstborn sons to honor the prophet and bring blessings to the child.”
She added, “The name also has multiple spellings, and that helps a name get into the top 10.”
The list also included many names that were heavily influenced by popular culture, including the names Simba and Elton, which made the top 100 list following Disney’s remake of the film Lion King.
