According to a German survey, the Arabic name “Mohammed” is fast-growing in popularity, ranking among the top 10 list of names in six German states.

Mohammed Amine Benabou is a BA holder in English Studies and an MA student majoring in Cultural Studies and Linguistics at the English Department, Ibn-Tofail University.

Rabat – A survey carried out by Society for German Language (GfdS) found that the Arabic name Mohammed is fast-becoming one of the most popular names for baby boys in Germany.

Mohammed was the 24th most-popular name across Germany in 2018. The name was the most popular first name for boys in the state of Berlin, the second most popular in the state of Bremen, and made it to the top 10 in the state of Saarland.

As a first name, the society notes, Mohammed, along with other variants such as Muhammed, Mohamad, and Mohmet, it is also popular in other states like Hamburg, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia.

In Berlin, the name was previously sixth most popular.

GfdS’s managing director, Andrea Ewels, argued Mohammed is likely to top the list by 2021 and 2022.

Ewels attributed the growing popularity of the name to the rise in immigration, with 1 million immigrants coming to Germany from Middle Eastern and North African countries since 2015.

Mohammed was also among the most popular names in the UK in 2017, according to the British Office for National Statistics. When taking into account the variations of the name, it could have topped the overall list, the office stated.

In London, the West Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber, Oliver, which ranked highest overall, was less popular than Muhammad in 2017, according to the survey based on mother’s usual area of residence.