Just before the Jewish New Year, the Population and Immigration Authority published Sunday the list of the most popular names for children born in the past year, 5785 on the Jewish calendar.
Events in and around Israel over the past two years clearly had a strong influence on the naming trends.
Among the Jewish population, the most popular name for boys is Lavi, in honor of Operation Am KeLavi, or Rising Lion, against Iran. The second most common name is Ariel, which appears to be linked to Ariel Bibas, the red-headed boy kidnapped and murdered in Hamas captivity. David, Raphael and Uri complete the top five, with other names tied to the war, such as Elia and Ari in seventh and eighth place and Eitan in ninth.
Looking more broadly at all names given to boys in Israel this past year, Mohammed remains the most common name in the country, followed by Yosef, Adam and David. Lavi, the top name among Jews, ranks only fifth overall.
For girls, the most popular name in Israel overall is Avigail, across all sectors. In second place nationwide is Miriam, while among Jews, Tamar takes that spot. Rounding out the top five are Libi, Tamar and Sarah nationwide, while in the Jewish sector, Yael replaces Miriam in the top five.
Most popular names in Israel this past year:
Boys (overall population):
- Mohammed
- Yosef
- Adam
- David
- Lavi
- Ariel
- Omer
- Raphael
- Uri
- Yehuda
Boys (Jewish sector):
- Lavi
- Ariel
- David
- Raphael
- Uri
- Yehuda
- Elia
- Ari
- Eitan
- Michael
Girls (overall population):
- Avigail
- Miriam
- Libi
- Tamar
- Sarah
- Leah/Lia
- Yael
- Ela
- Ayala
- Noa
Girls (Jewish sector):
- Avigail
- Tamar
- Libi
- Yael
- Sarah
- Ela
- Noa
- Lia/Leah
- Ayala
- Esther