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What Is the World’s Most Popular Name?

The world’s most popular name is Mohammad, according to 2013 findings. An estimated 150 million people worldwide are named Mohammad, after the Islam prophet. This is thought to be due to the increasing global population of Muslims, which grew from around 1.1 billion members worldwide in 1990 to over 1.6 billion in 2010. The name is also popular in countries where Islam is not the main religion. For example, in 2010, Mohammad was reportedly the most popular name for baby boys in the United Kingdom, as well as areas of France. A 2013 survey of small business owners in Milan also found that Mohammad was the most popular name for the adults in the surveyed segment.

More about popular names:

  • The most common name amongst engineers worldwide is Ravi, while those in law enforcement are most likely to be named Billy.
  • The name John has over 85 alternative spellings and related nicknames.
  • Variations of the name Emily are among the top 10 most popular girl names in a wide range of countries including the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Australia, Chile, and Norway.

Discussion Comments

By anon1003096 — On Apr 30, 2020

Why Mohammad? It sounds like my ham mad.

By anon969193 — On Sep 08, 2014

Ravi is a unisex Indian name.

By Euroxati — On Aug 22, 2014

To be honest, I don't hear the name Mohammad used very often, and it leads me to wonder why it's so popular in the first place. However, from my experience, it does seem to be quite a popular name in Islam, and even in the United States. Although the origins of how it became so popular aren't quite clear, nonetheless, it's still very interesting.

By Chmander — On Aug 21, 2014

Now that we know what the world's most popular name is, what is the world's least popular name? To be honest, I think this would be harder to pinpoint than searching for the most popular one. After all, there are a lot of people in this world who have some rather obscure associations, so trying to find the least popular name would be much more of a trivial task.

By Hazali — On Aug 20, 2014

Throughout the world, there are certainly many names, and while several may seem popular to us, its interesting to see what the article has to offer, as only a few names truly stand out. To be quite honest, I've never heard the name Ravi, not even when referring to engineers. It really makes me wonder why that name is so popular amongst them. Perhaps the reason is because once one person becomes associated with a certain title or position, the name can basically apply to everyone.

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