Olivia and Noah are once again the most popular names for new babies in Ontario, according to a list released by the province on Tuesday.

And Muhammad appears for the first time in at least 10 years on the list — which one baby names expert says reflects the growing multiculturalism of the English-speaking world.

The lists haven’t changed much over the past decade, with Olivia now in its 16th year in the number one spot and Noah in its sixth year at number one.

But the editor-in-chief of the world’s largest baby name website, said people shouldn’t conclude that children are attending school with dozens of classmates named Olivia and Noah. 

“What’s actually happening is the percentage of children being given the most popular names has over time really gone down,” said Sophie Kihm of Nameberry.

“There’s much more emphasis on using unique names these days … I mean, we’ve seen Olivia has been the top name for 16 years, but  …  it peaked in 2013, and the number of girls named Olivia has consistently gone down since then.”

Names need to appeal across cultures, expert says

The names that hold their positions in the top 10 reflect the increasingly multicultural nature of North American and European society, Kihm said, in that they appeal to people across cultures and languages.

“Both Maya and Mia are new,” she said, by way of example. 

“Maya – it’s not really off limits determined by culture but this is a name that is popular among Jewish parents. It’s also a Hindu name. … or we think of, you know, the variation of the Greek goddess Maya.”

Some of the parents Khim’s company consults with come from different cultural or linguistic backgrounds and want a name that works in both, she said.

Others want to encourage their children to travel the world and want them to have a name that will help them integrate into different societies.

“Mia, for example, would also work because those sounds are easily pronounced across a variety of languages,” Khim said. 

“Ending in “a” – that’s a common ending for girl names in a lot of cultures, right?”

On the boys’ side, the name Liam is common among Latin American families, Khim said.

“And Jewish families use it because there’s a way to, you know, interpret the name in Hebrew to give it a nice meaning.”

A notable entry onto the boys’ list this year was Muhammed, which appeared for the first time in at least 10 years.

Muhammads proud to make the list

Two Windsorites who share the name told CBC they are proud to see it on the list.

“It’s the most common name in the world,” said Muhammad Chams, the dealer principal at Cruze Auto Sales in Windsor. 

“As a Muslim, in Islam, Prophet Muhammad was the last messenger, so that … carries a lot of weight and pride with you, and it means a lot to us.”

Software engineer and recent University of Windsor graduate Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad said he’s proud that Muslims and the Asian continent are represented in the top names list. 

“Muslims put their first name as Muhammad,” he said.

“It’s a reference to the last messenger prophet – peace be upon him … and we affiliate ourselves with them.”

Asked if he had a message he wanted to share with his fellow Muhammads, Ahmad instead directed a message at all Canadians.

“My deepest condolences to the [victims of the] Australian attack which happened two days ago,” he said.

“In Islam, it’s a clear thing. If any individual has killed any innocent, he will never be forgiven. … Islam is the religion of peace, and we are supposed to spread peace.”