Most popular Jewish names: Noam for a boy and Noa for a girl
For another year Mohammed was the most popular baby name in Israel.
By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZIUpdated: DECEMBER 27, 2016 00:31A baby playing (illustrative)(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
The most popular baby name in Israel in 2015 was Muhammad, given to some 2,730 newborns, according to a report released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Monday.The annual report also found that the second-most popular name was Yosef, given to 1,880 children (1,194 Jewish boys and 637 Muslims) followed by Ariel, which was given to 1,792 Jewish children, boys and girls alike.The most popular Jewish name for a boy, for the second year in a row, was Noam, with some 1,414 boys given this name. The following choices also made the list of the top 10 most popular names: David, Ori/Uri, Ariel, Eitan, Yosef, Itai, Yonatan, Daniel and Moshe, similar to the most popular names for boys in 2014.The report also found that there was a significant increase in the number of boys named Dror, Yigal and Elroi in 2015, compared with the past decade.The most popular Jewish name for a girl was Noa, which has remained one of the most popular names for a girl for the past 16 years. Also among the most popular names: Tamar, Maya, Avigail, Talia, Adele, Shira, Ayala, Yael and Sara.The report also broke down the most popular baby names for a girl by city: In Jerusalem, the most popular baby name for a girl was Sara, while in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Holon, Rishon Lezion and Ramat Gan, the most popular name was Maya. In Bnei Brak, a predominately ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, the most popular name for a girl was also Sara, while in Ashdod, Ashkelon and Bat Yam, the most popular name was Adele.The report also found that one in every five Muslim boys is named Muhammad or Ahmed (15% and 4.6% of newborns, respectively). Also making the top ten list for most popular Muslim baby boy names: Yosef, Omar, Adam, Jud, Abed, Ali, Amir, Ibrahim, Mahmoud and Haled.The most popular name among Muslim girls was Miryam, followed by Sham, Jana, Lin, Lian, Aline and Sa’ara.