Most Popular Baby Boy Names in England and Wales 2025 (ONS) and Their Meanings

The most frequently given name for baby boys registered in England and Wales in 2025 was once again Muhammad. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 5,957 babies were registered with this spelling, making it No. 1 for the third year in a row. Its lead over Noah in second place also grew, from 1,582 babies in 2024 to 1,882 in 2025.

Yet the most interesting detail is not at the top but at No. 20, where Mohammed sits. Further down, at No. 55, comes Mohammad. The ONS counts each spelling as a separate name. Written in Arabic letters, however, all three are the same word: محمد. In Abjad (ebced) reckoning, all three are worth 92.

Below we look first at five years of these three spellings, then at the top 30 names of 2025, then at the moves since 2024 and at what the list shows through an Abjad lens.

One name, three spellings: Muhammad, Mohammed, Mohammad

English has no single official Latin spelling for Arabic names, so families choose different spellings according to background, tradition or habit. The ONS lists reflect this exactly as registered. The table shows the number of babies for each spelling from 2021 to 2025, with the rank in brackets. The last row is not an official ranking; it is added only to show what the total would be if the three spellings were combined.

The spelling Muhammad was No. 5 in 2021, rose to second in 2022 and to first in 2023. Over the same period its count grew from 3,722 to 5,957. Mohammed also climbed, from No. 35 in 2021 to No. 20 in 2025.

In Abjad terms the picture is simple: م (40) + ح (8) + م (40) + د (4) = 92. The difference between "u" and "o", or between one and two "m"s, does not appear in the Arabic spelling. The Turkish name Mehmet shares the same spelling محمد and the same value of 92.

The 30 most popular boy names of 2025

Counts are births registered in England and Wales in 2025. The Abjad value is computed from the name's established spelling in Arabic script. Because Abjad works on Arabic letters, a name written in Latin letters has no fixed value until its Arabic spelling is settled; the same name may be spelled differently in different sources.

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Baby names in England and Wales — under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

From 2024 to 2025: the moves that reshaped the list

Luca: 24 places in four years

The most striking rise of the year belongs to Luca. The name was No. 28 in 2021; in 2025 it reached fourth place with 3,266 babies. Its gain of 452 babies over 2024 is the largest in the top 30, almost twice Muhammad's increase (236). In Wales' own list Luca is second, and in North East England it is first.

Leo: a higher rank with fewer babies

Leo moved from fifth to third, yet its count actually fell, from 3,324 to 3,278. It climbed because the two names ahead of it in 2024 dropped further: 338 fewer babies were given the name Oliver, and 157 fewer the name Arthur. George was already behind Leo in 2024. At sixth, Oliver is at its lowest position in the 2021–2025 period. It is a useful reminder when reading rankings: a name moving up does not always mean more parents chose it.

New in the top 30, and out of it

Adam, Roman, Reuben and Rowan are in the top 30 this year. Rowan has travelled furthest: No. 63 in 2021, No. 30 in 2025. Adam rose from No. 35 to No. 26. Rory also stands out; No. 39 in 2021, it jumped seven places this year to No. 17. Leaving the top 30 are Lucas, Teddy, Thomas and Jacob. Familiar names that slipped include Jude (11 → 14) and Charlie (17 → 22).

Different leaders on the map

The ONS regional breakdown shows that the national No. 1 is not first everywhere. In 2025 Muhammad leads in London, the North West, the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber. Arthur is first in the South East and South West, while Noah leads in the East Midlands, the East of England and Wales. Luca tops the North East. Osian, tenth in Wales' own top 10, does not appear in the combined England and Wales top 100.

The top 30 through an Abjad lens

A small letter experiment: Leo and Louie

The most surprising pair in the list is Leo and Louie. Their Arabic spellings are ليو and لوي, and both contain the same three letters: ل (30), و (6), ي (10). The order differs, the total is the same: 46. Abjad adds up the values of letters, not their order, so two names built from the same letters carry the same number. A shared number does not make two names identical in every respect, though: in our reports each letter is also examined individually alongside the total.

Highest and lowest values

The highest value in the top 30 belongs to Charlie: تشارلي = 941. Of this, 700 comes from just two letters, ت (400) and ش (300). Arthur (آرثر, 901) follows closely; here the decisive letter is ث (500). The lowest is Jude: جود = 13 (ج 3, و 6, د 4). What drives the number is not so much the length of a name as the letters it is made of.

Change the spelling, change the number

Some names have more than one established Arabic spelling, and this directly affects the value. Theodore written ثيودور is 726, written تيودور it is 626; the difference comes from using ت (400) instead of ث (500). For Archie, آرشي is 511 while أرتشي is 911. Some names also have a traditional counterpart: Noah is commonly written نواه (62), while the name of the Prophet Nuh (Noah) in the Qur'an is نوح (64). Elijah is written إليجاه (50), whereas the Qur'anic Prophet Ilyas is إلياس (102). None of these differences makes one spelling "more fortunate", but they make it necessary to settle which spelling an analysis is based on from the start.

First letters of the top 10

Classifying the first letters by the classical scheme used in our reports (some authors use a different classification), five of the top 10 names begin with a Fire letter: Muhammad, Arthur, Oliver, Oscar and Freddie. Two begin with Water (George, Theodore), two with Earth (Leo, Luca) and one (Noah) with Air.

A little further down: familiar names

Beyond the top 30, other names familiar to Muslim and Turkish readers are rising too. In 2025 Musa and Yusuf share No. 64 with 798 babies each; Ibrahim is No. 70 and Yahya No. 81. Their Abjad values: Musa موسى 116, Yusuf يوسف 156, Ibrahim إبراهيم 259, Yahya يحيى 38. Adam (آدم, 45) is inside the top 30.

For families living between two languages

For families in England looking for a name that sounds natural both in English and in their home language, this list is a good starting point. Names such as Adam, Musa, Yusuf or Leo are easy to say in English as well as in Turkish or Arabic. From an Abjad point of view, though, an important question arises: which Latin spelling will be registered, and how will the name be written in Arabic? Because the value depends on the Arabic spelling, the first step in our reports is to settle the spelling of the child's and the parents' names.

A name's Abjad value on its own is not the analysis. In the Abjad tradition the real question is how the name forms a whole with the mother's and father's names. The child's yıldızname (star chart) is also calculated not from the child's name alone but together with the mother's name, so the same name may point to a different sign and element for a child of a different mother.

Short questions, short answers

Muhammad or Mohammed: does it matter in Abjad? No. All three Latin spellings are محمد in Arabic, with a value of 92. The difference only shows up in official registration and in ONS statistics.

Is a name that is rising in the list more "lucky"? No. A ranking only shows how many families chose a name. In the Abjad tradition a name's value is independent of its popularity.

I like a name from the list; what next? Look first at its meaning and origin, then consider it together with the mother's and father's names. Element balance and compatibility only become meaningful when the three names are looked at together.

Muhammad, Luca, Leo or Rowan... Whether or not the name you have in mind is on this list, seeing it alongside your family's names can add a new dimension to your decision.

Note: Counts and ranks are taken from official ONS data; the ONS counts each spelling separately. Name meanings are based on common dictionary information; Arabic spellings may vary by source. Abjad values and element interpretations are for information and rest on the Abjad tradition; they imply no certainty or guarantee.