The Central Bureau of Statistics published today (Monday) the list of first names given in Israel in 2024.
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The data shows that this year, the name "Muhammad" is the most common name in Israel - with 2,257 children. However, this is a decrease compared to previous years, in which the rate of the name reached 171% of all Muslim boys, compared to 11.41% this year.
Among Jewish girls, the name "Abigail" continues to lead with 1,437 girls. It is immediately followed by Ayala, Sara, Tamar, Maya, Esther, Yael, Noa, Libi and Hana.
Overall, this is a top ten in which most of the names are also present in previous years, with slight increases in position or total number.
For Jewish boys, the most common name for 2024 is "David," with 1,842 babies. Other names in the top ten: Lavi (1,518), Ariel (1,479), Rafael, Uri, Yosef, Ari, Moshe, Yehuda and Avraham.
A comparison between different socio-economic clusters shows that traditional names are more common in the lower clusters - ultra-Orthodox, religious, and traditional, while innovative and modern names mainly characterize the populations in the higher clusters.
Thus, traditional names such as Sarah, Esther, David, Joseph, Yehuda, and others continue to dominate in ultra-Orthodox cities and the religious sector.
In contrast, in localities with a high socio-economic ranking, mainly in the center of the country, modern names such as Alma, Tamar, Noa, Lavi, Adam, Gefen, and more are common.
The report also includes data on names used for both boys and girls - especially among Jews: Ariel (1,479 boys, 620 girls), Uri (1,320 boys, 613 girls), Hillel, Uria, Omer, Gefen, Or, Yahli, Arbel and Neta.
Other names saw a particularly sharp increase in the past year. For example, the name "Elia" rose by 237 instances compared to the previous year. "Ariel" rose by 215 instances, "Abigail" by 159, and "Shilah" by 156.
One name in particular stood out in its decline: "Barry." In 2023, 435 babies were named this name, but in 2024 the number dropped to just 92 - a decrease of 343 cases.
The data also shows that the rate of foreign or international-sounding names continues to rise among a portion of the population, but still remains relatively marginal. At the same time, it is evident that many families aspire to names with Jewish, historical, or biblical significance, especially in religious Jewish society.
In the Muslim population, after the name Muhammad, which leads by a considerable margin, appear Yusuf (691 Muslim babies), Ahmed (688), Omar, Adam, Yasin, Yamin, Ali, Yasser, and Ibrahim.
Among Muslim girls, Miriam is the most common name (566 girls), followed by Wetin (340), Lin (282), Noor, Rim, Lain, Ruth, Salma, Sarab, and Amal.
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