First Name ‘Mohamed’ is Losing Popularity in Belgium

Rabat – Recent data from the Statbel, the Belgian statistics office, reported that 294 babies were named Mohamed in 2021, down from 518 registered cases in 2011.

Data show that the popularity of Mohamed in Belgium had been steadily growing between 1995 and 2010, marking an increase from 217 to 538 newborns.

Since reaching its peak in 2010, however, the popularity among newborns of the most widely used Arab and Muslim first name seems to have subsided.

After a slight increase in Mohamed’s popularity in 2015 and 2018 that pushed the numbers to 461 and 420 respectively, in 2021, parents of only 112 newborns chose Mohamed as their children’s first name in the Flemish region, whereas Brussels registered a slightly higher number of 118.

According to the report, Belgium’s French-speaking regions continued to have a steadily low number of newborns called Mohammed, with the number slightly dropping to 54 in 2021 from 65 in 2020.

Nevertheless, Mohamed was the only Arab or Muslim name popular in Belgium last year. Noah, which parents of 627 newborns selected, became the most popular name among boys, assuming Arthur’s place, which had topped the list for three consecutive years.

Louis, Liam, Jules, Adam, Lucas Gabriel, Victor, and Oscar occupied the remaining spots in the top 10 list.

As for girls, Olivia was the most popular first name in Belgium last year, with 580 recorded cases among newborns; it was followed by Emma, Louise, Mila, Alice, Camille, Ella, and Juliette. Lina and Sofia occupied the 7th and 8th positions on the list, with 394 and 359 newborns respectively.

The choice of Lina for firstborns shows a significant increase in the name’s popularity in Belgium from 27 newborns in 1995 to 394 in 2021.

According to the Statbel data, Lina has gained more popularity over the past few years in Flemish and French-speaking regions. It was chosen as the first name of 186 and 119 newborns in 2021, even though the name is increasingly losing its popularity in Brussels, dropping from 107 uses in 2006 to 89 in 2021.

This trend extends to other names commonly used in North Africa such as Inès, Sara, and Aya. In contrast, Sophia became more popular in Belgium, with parents of 154 newborns choosing the female first name for their babies in 2021 compared to 64 cases in 2011.