Muhammad most popular UK boys’ name

Muhammad has become the most popular name for newborn boys in the UK.

While Arabic names are on the rise, TV shows such as Game Of Thrones have also inspired names for the next generation, according to website BabyCentre.

The website’s list of the top 100 baby names of 2014 showed Muhammad has risen a huge 27 places from last year to claim the number one spot for boys.

The data showed an enormous surge in Arabic names generally, with Nur a new entry in the girls’ top 100 , jumping straight to number 29, and Maryam rising 59 places to number 35 in the list. Omar, Ali, and Ibrahim are all new to the boys’ top 100.

Sophia was the top name for baby girls, mirroring its popularity in BabyCentre’s charts in the US, Brazil, Spain and Russia last year.

But the year’s biggest riser within the girls’ top 100 was Maryam, while the highest new entries were Nur, Emilia and Gracie.

For baby boys, Teddy was the biggest climber within the top 100. The highest new entries were Kian and Jonathan .

The figures from BabyCentre combine all the variations of spellings for a single name – so boys named Muhammad, Mohammed and Mohammad, for example, would all be listed under a single name, unlike the Office for National Statistics, which lists variations on spellings.

Sarah Redshaw, managing editor for BabyCentre, said: “With the increase of Arabic names plus Aarav, an Indian boys’ name, the top 100 shows the ever-increasing diversity of the UK today.”

The royal relegation continued with George falling a further five places. The name slipped out of the top 10 to number 13 shortly after the future king’s birth last year. Other royal names – such as Harry and William – also continued to fall in popularity this year.

Ms Redshaw said: “Parents have also been influenced by celebrity name choices. The Beckhams and Simon Cowell have been big influences this year. Eric, the name Simon Cowell chose for his son, increased by 314%.”

The names of David and Victoria Beckham’s offspring have also prompted a trend among new parents. Harper is a new entry in the top 100 this year, while Romeo is up 67% and Cruz is up 400%.

Ariana entered the top 100 girls’ names for the first time, with singer Ariana Grande topping the charts this year.

From Game Of Thrones, the name Emilia was a new entry at number 53, with parents also registering the names Daenerys and Tyrion this year . The name Piper was up 267%, thanks to p opular TV series Orange Is The New Black.

Breaking Bad also continued to influence, as Skyler, Jesse and Walter all increased in popularity.

But Ms Redshaw added: “Parents are wary of names associated with celebrities who exhibit bad behaviour, the controversial pop singer Miley Cyrus being a prime example.”

The name Miley has fallen, as have Amy and Nick, following the release of the mystery thriller book and movie Gone Girl.

Popular names from the 1970s seem to be making a comeback, with the names Emma, Sarah and Maria up 10, 32 and 12 places respectively. Angela, Joanne, Claire and Karen have also all increased in popularity and John has also made it into the top 100.

Choosing an unusual baby name is also on the rise. This year’s more creative baby names for girls included Wren, London, Phoenix, Logan, Indigo, Genisis and Blue – inspired by Beyonce’s daughter, Blue Ivy.

Among the more inventive names for boys were Prince, King, Junior, Hendrix, Braxton and Apollo – the name of Gwen Stefani’s son.

The baby names chart ranks the names chosen by 56,157 BabyCentre.co.uk members who gave birth in 2014.