Mohammed one of the most popular baby boy names in Berlin

RAWALPINDI: Mohammed was found to be a popular name in several German states last year and managed 24th in the national rankings.

Mohammed was among the most popular baby names for boys born in Berlin in 2018, according to a study commissioned by Germany’s government language society.

The Association for the German Language (GfdS) reports that Mohammed, alongside its variations like Mohamad and Muhammad, was among the top 10 most popular given first names in the capital. While the agency did not specify its exact place in Berlin’s ranking, it said the name and its variants also made it to the top 10 in Hamburg and the western state of Saarland, and ranked 24th nationally, reported international media.

Berlin’s three most popular boy names were Paul, Alexander and Maximilian — in line with the national trend. Henry is said to be the 9th most popular name; GfdS director Andrea-Eva Ewels stated it was the first Anglophone name in the top 10 in years. For girls, the most popular names across Germany were Marie/Mari, Sophie/Sofie and Maria. The GfdS collected data from 700 registry offices across Germany and recorded around 65,000 different names in total, which the agency said was around 90 per cent of all names given last year.