Biblical, Quranic names dominate: Abigail, David, and Mohammed are most popular in Israel in 2023

The most popular name among Jewish girls in 2023 was Abigail (Avigail, a Biblical name meaning "father's joy"), with  1,278 girls given the name this year. The name Ayala (Ayalah, meaning "doe" in Hebrew) was in second place with 1,171 babies, followed by the name Tamar (a Biblical name meaning "date palm") in third place with 1,113 babies, according to data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The top ten names for Jewish girls in 2023 also included Sarah (a Biblical matriarch meaning "princess"), Maya (or Mia, possibly derived from Mary or from the Hebrew word for "water"), Noa (Noah, a Biblical name meaning "motion"), Yael (a Biblical name meaning "ibex"), Esther (a Biblical queen), Libi (a modern Hebrew name meaning "my heart"), and Hannah (a Biblical name meaning "grace").

The most popular name among Jewish boys was David (Dovid, a Biblical king meaning "beloved"), with 1,760 boys named this year (2.7% of Jewish boys). Following were the names Lavi (meaning "lion" in Hebrew) given to 1,415 boys and Yosef (Joseph, a Biblical patriarch meaning "God will add") given to 1,324 babies in 2023. The top ten names for Jewish boys in 2023 also included Rafael (Raphael, a Biblical name meaning "God has healed"), Ariel (a Biblical name meaning "lion of God"), Uri (a Biblical name meaning "my light"), Ari (a modern name meaning "lion"), Moshe (Moses, a Biblical leader), Noam (No’am, meaning "pleasantness") and Yehuda (Judah, a Biblical patriarch).

The name Mohammed (the name of the Islamic prophet) is the most popular in Israel overall and among Muslim boys in particular. This name is relatively declining – from 17% at the beginning of the 2000s to 12% in 2023. Among Muslim girls, the most popular name in 2023 was Mariam (Mary, the mother of Jesus), with 456 girls named this.

Popular names in 2023 that were not popular in 2008

New names for Jewish boys in 2023: Ray (likely derived from Raymond), Maor (meaning "luminary"), Yar (a modern name possibly meaning "forest"), Ati (a modern name), Shemariah (a Biblical name meaning "God has guarded"), On (a Biblical name), Leo (a name of Latin origin meaning "lion"), Karem (a modern name), La’el (a modern name), Luria (a modern name), Lib (a modern name meaning "heart"), Theo (a name of Greek origin meaning "gift of God"), Arian (a name of Welsh origin meaning "silver"), Elrom (a modern name), Ya'ar (meaning "forest" in Hebrew), Nuri (a modern name), Miel (a modern name), Pela (a modern name), Rio (a name of Spanish origin meaning "river"), Dagan (a Biblical name meaning "grain"), Libi (a modern name meaning "my heart"), Oliver (a name of Latin origin meaning "olive tree"), Alari (a modern name), Meshulam (a Biblical name meaning "rewarded").

New names for Jewish girls in 2023: Shaiyah (a modern name), Rif (a modern name), Helani (a modern name), Maor (meaning "luminary"), Arya (a modern name meaning "lioness"), Miley (a modern name), Milan (a name of Slavic origin meaning "gracious"), Amor (a name of Latin origin meaning "love"), Carmi (a Biblical name meaning "my vineyard"), Rain (a modern name), Asia (a name of Greek origin), Manor (a modern name), Ari (a modern name meaning "lion"), Dar (a modern name), Doria (a modern name), Mai (a modern name), Neri (a modern name), Luan (a modern name), San (a modern name), Shahri (a modern name), El (a modern name), La’ia (a modern name), Liber (a modern name), Niver (a modern name), Helani (a modern name), La’el (a modern name).

Less popular names

The data also showed the names whose popularity significantly declined in 2023 compared to 2008. For Jewish girls: the names Mor (a modern name), Karin (a name of Scandinavian origin meaning "pure"), and Shiraz (a name of Persian origin meaning "sweet wine"), which were relatively popular in 2008, were given to only 5 girls in 2023.

For Jewish boys: the names Maksim (a name of Latin origin meaning "greatest"), Oded (a Biblical name meaning "restorer"), Shagiv (a modern name), Nikita (a name of Slavic origin), Liram (a modern name), and Yinir (a modern name), which were given to 20 boys or more in 2008, were given to 5 children or not at all in 2023.

Unisex names

The name Ariel (a Biblical name meaning "lion of God") was given to 1,854 children in total, 1,293 boys and 561 girls.The name Uri (a Biblical name meaning "my light") was given to 1,745 children in total, 1,227 boys and 518 girls.Among Jewish girls, the name Abigail was most popular in Ashkelon, while in Tel Aviv, the most popular name was Maya (or Mia). Among Jewish boys, the name David was most popular in Beit Shemesh, Netivot, and Jerusalem. Among Muslim boys, the name Ahmad (a name of Arabic origin meaning "highly praised") was in second place in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Umm al-Fahm, and Rahat.