London: Muhammad is the second most popular name for boys and Noah the third, while Lily and Sophie take second and third spot for the girls, media reports said.
Muhammad (ﷺ) is the Last Prophet and the most loved person by Muslims around the world.
A top 100 for boys and a top 100 for girls were compiled by parenting site Baby Centre and there have been some rising trends this year, reports said.
Comic book inspired names Kara (Supergirl), Harley and Quinn (Suicide Squad) and Felicity and Thea (Aarow) have all climbed the chart. There’s also been a rise in galactic-themed names including Nova, Orion and Luna, while Star Wars-inspired names Leia, Kylo and Finn have also had a boost.
Boys’ names inspired by the 1980s, which did well in last year’s chart, have plummeted in 2016, with Michael down 26 places at number 65 and David falling from number 50 to number 61, perhaps reflecting the political turmoil earlier this year.
New entries in the top 100 boys’ names of 2016 include Ronnie at number 96 and Reggie at number 94.
“One of the biggest-ever boy bands, One Direction, may also be having an influence on baby name choices in 2016. Louis Tomlinson was the first member of the band to become a father this year. His son’s name Freddie is up eleven places from number 25 to number 14″, BabyCentre said in its report.
Celebrities also continue to be a source of inspiration. Coleen and Wayne Rooney’s name choices have proved popular, with twice as many babies called Kit and Klay, compared to last year. Kai was also a new entry to the boys’ top 100 in 2016.
Victoria Beckham’s daughter Harper has apparently become a young trend-setter – as her name has jumped 31 places from 2015 to 56th in the girls list this year.
And there was a late surge in parents choosing the name River, after Jamie Oliver chose the name for his new son.
In recent years there has also been a rise in baby names inspired by nature. Lily, Poppy, Daisy and Holly all jumped up this year’s list.
Interestingly, according to the Israeli government statistical office report published in 2014 Mohammad is the most popular name in the Jewish state.
Courtesy: MM