A large-scale survey conducted in 300 countries has shown which are the two most popular female and male names in the world.
Two (very) traditional names are preferred by parents: one is of biblical origin, the other is of Arabic origin. For several months, Stephanie Rapoport, author Names Official: in 2023 published on 1eh last September surveyed 300 countries and compiled various statistics in terms of name trends.
the girls’ side
“Mary” is the first name of biblical origin. From the Hebrew “Myriam”, which means “drop of the sea”, and the Egyptian “merit”, which means “beloved”, Mary was already a very popular first name among the contemporaries of Jesus Christ. After several thousand years, it is the most given female name in the world. Of course, its success is also due to the many variations of compound names; Marie-Anne, Marie-Pierre, Marie-Noël, to name a few.
Boys side
For men, “Muhammad” is paramount. And this also considering its derivatives like “Muhammad”, “Muhamat”or even “Muhammad”. This first name, which means “worthy of praise” or “worthy of praise” in Arabic, is traditionally attributed to the eldest son.
Source: Le Figaro
