Overall the top 3 names given last year were; Abigail, David, and Mohammed, revealed as the most popular names in Israel in 2023, Jerusalem Post reported.
Mohammed emerged as the most popular name overall in Israel last year, particularly among Muslim boys, reflecting its significance as the name of the Islamic prophet.
Among Jewish girls, Abigail led with 1,278 girls named this year. Ayala, came second for girls with 1,171 babies, and Tamar ranked third with 1,113 babies, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics. The top ten names for Jewish girls in 2023 also included Sarah, Maya, Noa, Yael, Esther, Libi, and Hannah, many of which are biblical names.
Among Jewish boys, David was the most popular with 1,760 boys named this year (2.7% of Jewish boys). Lavi followed with 1,415 boys, and Yosef was given to 1,324 babies in 2023. Other popular names for Jewish boys also included Rafael, Ariel, Uri, Ari, Moshe, Noam , and Yehuda, again with many following from Biblical context.
The popularity of the name Mohammed has seen a relative decline, dropping from 17% in the early 2000s to 12% in 2023. Among Muslim girls, the most popular name in 2023 was Mariam, with 456 girls named this year.
Names rising in popularity in 2023:
New names for Jewish boys in 2023; Ray, Maor, Yar, Ati, Shemariah, On, Leo, Karem, La’el, Luria, Lib, Theo , Arian, Elrom, Ya'ar , Nuri, Miel , Pela , Rio, Dagan, Libi, Oliver, Alari, and Meshulam.
New names for Jewish girls in 2023; Shaiyah, Rif, Helani, Maor, Arya, Miley, Milan, Amor, Carmi , Rain, Asia, Manor, Ari, Dar, Doria, Mai , Neri , Luan, San, Shahri, El, La’ia, Liber, Niver, Helani, and La’el.