Mohamed Tops List of Baby Names in Barcelona Province, Reflecting Demographic Shifts

In 2022, 13,326 newborns were named Mohamed, compared to 13,244 for the name Arnau in Barcelona, according to data from the Institute. Mohamed is the only foreign-origin name that has managed to position itself among the most popular in the Catalan capital. At the national level, Mohamed and Mohammed are at the top of the names given to Moroccan newborns, with 42,332 and 21,435 respectively.

These data are similar to last year’s, as far as babies born in Catalonia are concerned. Leo (328) for boys and Júlia (323) for girls remain the most popular names. After Leo, other masculine names such as Nil, Pol, Marc, Biel, Jan, Martí and Àlex are common. For girls, names like Ona, Lucía, Martina, Mia, Emma, Sofía and Gala are frequent.

In Spain, an average of 38 children are born every hour, 12 of whom have at least one foreign-born parent, or 32.4%, according to INE data. This growing increase in the foreign-born population is worrying in Catalonia, where 37.3% of children born have at least one foreign-born parent.