Mohammed Was the Most Popular Israeli Baby Name in 2014
What?s in a Name? Jewish names can announce to the world that we are not afraid to flaunt our heritage. Image by Dave Buchwald
Mohammed was the most popular name in Israel in 2014.
Some 2,650 Mohammeds were born in Israel in 2014, the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics said in a report released Sunday.
The second most popular name for a boy was Noam, with 1,600 baby boys, though according to the report some 400 girls also were named Noam.
The other nine most popular boys names were Ori/Uri, David, Yousef, Eitan, Itay, Ariel, Daniel, Yonatan and Moshe.
The most popular name for a girl was Noa, with 1,478 newborns, followed by Tamar, Shira, Maya, Yael, Adele, Talia, Avigail, Ayala and Sara.
For Muslim children, the most popular names after Mohammed or Ahmed were Yusuf, Omar, Abed, Adam, Ali, Ibrahim, Mahmoud, Amir and Khaled. The most popular Muslim girls name was Maryam, as well as Jana, Lian, Malak, Alin, Lyn and Nur.
Eitan rose in popularity from 10th place in 2013 to fifth last year, likely in part to Operation Protective Edge in Gaza during the summer of 2014 known as Mivtza Tzuk Eitan in Hebrew.
Meanwhile, 209 baby boys were named Ovadia in 2014, up from 117 in 2013, the year Rabbi Ovadia Yosef died. Some 36 boys were named Ovadia in 2012.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
