According to data released earlier this week by Israel’s Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS), the top three most popular baby names in the country overall in 2015 were:
- Mohammed
- Yosef (used for male babies — both Muslim and Jewish)
- Ariel (used for Jewish babies — both male and female)
The top baby names for Jewish babies specifically were Noa and Noam:
Girl Names (Jewish)
1. Noa
2. Tamar
3. Maya
4. Avigayil/Avigail/Abigail
5. Talya/Talia
6. Adele
7. Shira
8. Ayala/Ayela
9. Yael
10. Sarah/Sara
Boy Names (Jewish)
1. Noam
2. David
3. Ori/Uri
4. Ariel
5. Eitan
6. Yosef
7. Itai/Itay
8. Yonatan
9. Daniel
10. Moshe
The CBS also reported that the boy names Dror, Yagel/Yigal, and Alroi/Elroi/Elroy each saw a sharp rise in usage in 2015.
The top baby names for Muslim babies specifically were Maryam and Mohammad:
Girl Names (Muslim)
1. Maryam/Miryam/Mariam
2. Sha’im
3. Jana/Janah
4. Lin
5. Lian/Layan
6. Alin/Aline
7. Sa’ara
Boy Names (Muslim)
1. Mohammad
2. Ahmed
3. Yosef
4. Omar
5. Adam
6. Jud/Jod
7. Abed
8. Ali
9. Amir
10. Ibrahim
The 2012 rankings for Israel are pretty similar.
Update, Oct. 2017: Here’s an interesting fact about Israel’s 2014 rankings (which I never wrote a post about): “Eitan soared in popularity to No. 5 from 10th place in 2014, a surge attributed to that year’s war in Gaza dubbed Operation Protective Edge, or Mivtza Tzuk Eitan in Hebrew.” (Source: Times of Israel)
Sources:
- Druckman, Yaron. “Mohammad & Noa 2015’s most common names for newborns.” Ynetnews 26 Dec. 2016.
- Gravé-Lazi, Lidar. “Most popular Jewish names: Noam for a boy and Noa for a girl.” Jerusalem Post 27 Dec. 2016.
- “What were the most popular names for boys and girls in 2015?” Israel National News 26 Dec. 2016.
Image: Adapted from Flag of Israel (public domain)
It’s not mentioned but Mohammed is because of statistics. As are all names. It’s not that most of the Israeli boys are walking around named Mohammed. The Muslim population is under 10%, but very fertile. Ahem. “(CBS makes the explanation clear: “This name was very common among the population because it is given to one out of every seven Muslim boys. In comparison, the most common names among Jews and Muslim girls were given to one out of 40 children.”)”