Britain's Most Popular Boys' Name... Mohammed

Mohammed has become the top boys' name chosen by parents in Britain after a huge surge in popularity for Arabic names generally, according to new research.

The UK's top baby names of 2014 showed Mohammed has risen 27 places from last year to claim the number one spot for the boys, data carried out by website BabyCentre showed.

Also within the boys' top 100, Teddy was the biggest climber, Kian and Jonathan were the highest new entries, and Omar, Ali, and Ibrahim were all new entries.

For the girls, Sophia was top, Maryam was the biggest riser, and Nur, Emilia and Gracie were the highest newcomers.

Sarah Redshaw, managing editor for BabyCentre, said: "With the increase of Arabic names plus Aarav, an Indian boys' name, the top 100 shows the ever-increasing diversity of the UK today.

"Parents have also been influenced by celebrity name choices. The Beckhams and Simon Cowell have been big influences this year. Eric, the name Simon Cowell chose for his son, increased by 314%."

The names of David and Victoria Beckham's offspring have also prompted a trend among new parents. Harper is a new entry in the top 100 this year, while Romeo is up 67% and Cruz is up 400%.

From Game Of Thrones, the name Emilia was a new entry at number 53, with parents also registering the names Daenerys and Tyrion this year. The name Piper was up 267%, thanks to popular TV series Orange Is The New Black.

Breaking Bad also continued to influence, as Skyler, Jesse and Walter all increased in popularity.

But Ms Redshaw added: "Parents are wary of names associated with celebrities who exhibit bad behaviour, the controversial pop singer Miley Cyrus being a prime example."

The name Miley has fallen, as have Amy and Nick, following the release of the mystery thriller book and movie Gone Girl.

Royal names in general continued to fall in popularity with George dropping a further five places. The name slipped out of the top 10 to number 13 shortly after the future king's birth last year.

Here are the UK's top 10 most popular baby names:

1. Mohammed 2. Oliver 3. Jack 4. Noah 5. Jacob 6. Charlie 7. Harry 8. Joshua 9. James 10. Ethan

1. Sophia 2. Emily 3. Lily 4. Olivia 5. Amelia 6. Isla 7. Isabella 8. Ava 9. Sophie 10. Chloe

The list groups together all the variant spellings of names with more than popular spelling.