Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Traditional Biblical Names Lead Israel’s Newborn Rankings
Israel counted the names given to babies born during the Hebrew year 5786.
By September 6, 179,398 births had been registered.
Mohammed was the most popular name for boys across the whole population.
Ariel was the most popular name among Jewish boys.
Avigail was the most popular name for girls overall and among Jewish girls.
Many of the most popular names are traditional or biblical.
Jerusalem had more registered births than any other city.
Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv-Jaffa ranked second and third.
A total of 179,398 births were registered in Israel’s Population Registry as of September 6.
Mohammed was the most common boys’ name overall, followed by Ariel and Yosef.
Among Jewish boys, Ariel ranked first, followed by David and Rafael.
Avigail was the top girls’ name overall and among Jewish Israelis.
Jerusalem recorded the most births, followed by Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
- Who
- Parents and newborns in Israel, as recorded by the Population and Immigration Authority.
- What
- Authorities released rankings of the most popular newborn names and birth totals.
- When
- During the Hebrew year 5786, with figures reported as of September 6 and released ahead of Rosh Hashanah.
- Where
- Israel, with Jerusalem recording the most births.
- Why
- The data was released to show national and Jewish-specific naming and birth trends before Rosh Hashanah.
- Total registered births
- 179,398 as of September 6
- Top boys’ name overall
- Mohammed
- Top Jewish boys’ name
- Ariel
- Top girls’ name overall
- Avigail
- Top Jewish girls’ name
- Avigail
- City with most births
- Jerusalem, with 23,336
- Second- and third-highest birth totals
- Bnei Brak with 8,225 and Tel Aviv-Jaffa with 7,405