Mohammed enters top 20 most popular names in Britain; reflects growth of Islam

LONDON (RNS) -- The name Mohammed has entered the top 20 names for boys in Britain and Wales for the first time, a reflection of the growing strength and size of Britain's Muslim community.

Mohammed and Charlie bumped Adam and Alfie out of the top 20 list of baby names for 2004; last year it was 22nd. But the name can be spelled various ways - Mohammed, with 2,279 boys, came in 20th place, but Muhammad occurred 1,086 times and placed 54th.

There are 1.5 million Muslims in the United Kingdom, according to the 2001 census, comprising about 2.7 percent of the population. There were no specifically Muslim girls' names in the top 50.