The most common name given to new-born boys in Israel during 2020 was Mohammed and, for girls, Maya, according to government data.
Almost 2,400 boys in the Jewish state were named after the founder of Islam, its Prophet Mohammed, last year, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) announced on Tuesday.
The name was more than likely dominant in the country’s Muslim community. According to the CBS data, some 1.7 million Muslims made up 18% percent of Israel’s population as of late 2020.
Mohammed is generally believed to be the most popular male name globally, having been taken by 150 million people across the world, according to some estimations.
It became the fifth most common baby’s name in the UK in 2020, while also making it to the top 10 in the US the previous year.
As for Israel’s Jewish population, it’s top three preferences for boys’ names last year were David, Lavi and Ariel.
The most popular girl’s name in the country in 2020 was Maya, being preferred by both Jewish and non-Jewish populations.
It means ‘water’ in Hebrew, Spanish and Greek, but is also encountered in other cultures. For example, Maya is translated as ‘illusion’ from Sanskrit.
