Mohammed top boys' name in England

LONDON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Britain's Office of National Statistics released data indicating the most popular name for boys in England in 2009 was Mohammed -- spelled in different ways.

The office said Oliver was the most popular baby boys' name in England with a consistent spelling, followed by Jack, Thomas, Charles, Harry, William and Daniel, CNN reported Friday.

However, when multiple spellings of the same name are taken into account, Mohammed was the most popular name for baby boys, CNN said.

"The first reason why people keep the children's name Mohammed is because of their love of the Prophet Mohammed, because they want to emulate him," said Imam Abdullah al-Hasan of the East London Mosque.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life said Muslims said there are nearly 2.9 million Muslims in Britain, accounting for 4.6 percent of the population.