What’s in a name

The Office of National Statistics has released the top 100 names for new born boys and girls in the UK in 2006. Jack is the favourite boys name for British parents for the fifth year in a row, followed by Thomas , Joshua, Oliver and Harry.

One interesting fact from looking at the list is that there are three versions of Mohammed in the top 69. Mohammed is at number 22 and has been in the first 25 for at least the last five years. Muhammed is at 44, up 12 places from last year and Mohammad is number 69 and consistently the third most popular version of the name. No sign of Muhammad, Mojammed or any other variation being taken up in great numbers but with the UK’s open door policy for asylum seekers it won’t be to long.

Traditional names like Robert and John are way down the list but something like Noah has been a steady riser over the years. Christopher is dropping like a stone in popularity. For girls Olivia, Grace, Jessica, Ruby and Emily are the top 5. Names such as Summer and Demi that people in the UK usually associate with the US are also on the rise.