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)
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