Mohammed Enters List of Favorite UK Boys’ Names

LONDON — Mohammed has joined perennial favorites Jack and Joshua as one of the most popular names given to British boys in 2004, a sign of the country’s growing ethnic diversity and a legacy of Muslim immigration decades ago.

The Office of National Statistics said on Thursday Mohammed — meaning variously “one who is praiseworthy” or “exalted” — had moved up two places to enter the top 20 for the first time.

“It is all about demographics. There are now more Muslims being born in Britain than previously,” said Dr Jamil Sherif of the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group of 400 organizations.

“About 40 percent of Muslims here are under 25,” he told Reuters. “There are a lot of young families.”

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