What's in a name? Population Authority shares most popular baby names ahead of Rosh Hashanah

Mohammed, Ariel, and Avigail topped Israel’s lists, with a total of 179,398 babies registered in Israel’s Population Registry as of Sunday morning, September 6.

Mohammed, Ariel, and Avigail topped Israel’s lists of the most popular names given to babies during the Hebrew year 5786, according to Population and Immigration Authority data released on Sunday ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

A total of 179,398 babies had been registered in Israel’s Population Registry as of Sunday morning, September 6, the authority said.

Mohammed was the most common name among boys across Israel’s general population, followed by Ariel, Yosef, Adam, David, Omer, Rafael, Lavi, Michael, and Eitan.

Among Jewish boys, Ariel took first place. David ranked second, followed by Rafael, Lavi, Uri, Michael, Eliya, Eitan, Yehuda, and Ari.

Ariel’s position at the top continues its strong showing in recent years. In 2024, it was also the most popular name among Jewish boys according to Population and Immigration Authority figures, while David ranked second and Lavi third. Earlier baby-name data showed Ariel leading Jewish boys in 2024.

Most popular names among girls

Avigail was the most popular girls’ name both across the general population and among Jewish Israelis in 5786.

In the overall ranking for girls, Avigail was followed by Miriam, Lia, Libi, Tamar, Yael, Ayala, Sarah, Ella, and Naya.

Among Jewish girls, Libi came in second after Avigail, followed by Tamar, Yael, Lia, Ella, Ayala, Sarah, Noa, and Naya.

Avigail has maintained an unusually strong run at the top of the rankings. Population and Immigration Authority figures for 2024 also placed the name first among Jewish girls, marking its second consecutive year in the top spot at the time. Avigail also topped Israel’s 2024 rankings

More recent Central Bureau of Statistics data covering children born in 2024 similarly found Avigail to be the most popular name among Jewish girls, while traditional and biblical names continued to dominate many of the rankings. That analysis placed David first among Jewish boys in its separate dataset, followed by Levi and Ariel. Israeli parents continued to favor traditional names in CBS data

Mohammed’s place at the top of the overall boys’ ranking also continues a long-running pattern. The name topped the nationwide boys’ list in data released ahead of Rosh Hashanah in 2022 as well, when Adam and Yosef followed it. Mohammed has led nationwide baby-name rankings in previous years

Jerusalem leads Israel in births

Jerusalem recorded by far the largest number of registered births during 5786, with 23,336 babies.

Bnei Brak ranked second with 8,225 births, while Tel Aviv-Jaffa was third with 7,405.

Beit Shemesh followed with 6,974 births, ahead of Ashdod with 4,031 and Haifa with 3,421.

Rishon LeZion registered 3,413 births, Netanya 3,343, Petah Tikva 3,338, and Modi’in Illit 3,113.

The figures were released as Israel prepared to enter the Hebrew year 5787, with Rosh Hashanah beginning on Friday evening.