The 10 most popular names for boys born in Israel in 2025

Everyone has a name, but there are quite a few people in Israel who, in a few years, will have to turn around when their name is called, only to discover that the call was intended for someone else. Here are the most popular names for boys born in Israel last year, according to data from the Population and Immigration Authority:

1. Muhammad (1,743)

The name Muhammad reaches first place, as it does every year, due to its immense popularity among the Arab public. However, according to multi-year data, its popularity is declining: while once every sixth Arab child received this name, today it is about every ninth child.

1. Yosef (1,274)

This name has been on an upward trend in recent years, and not because of the Jewish population. Most Yosefs are from the non-Jewish population, and it seems that in general, there is a trend for minorities to give names that sound more like they belong to the majority to provide children with better integration chances. In the Jewish population, the last appearance of this name in the top ten was in 2022.

1. Adam (1,176)

This name, like Yosef, is popular mainly among non-Jews, while among Jews it is not in the top ten. In 2022, the Authority noted that its popularity has tripled in the last 20 years.

1. Ariel (1,061)

This has been the most popular name in the Jewish sector since 2023, and in 2021-2022 it was in second place. We note that its rise in the ranking did not come from an increase in the number of children named this; in fact, in the years it was in second place, it was given to 1,400 children each year. It seems that first names for children are simply spreading across more options.

1. David (1,036)

This name is in third place in the Jewish sector and gets a small boost thanks to 66 non-Jewish children named this.

1. Lavi (994)

In the Jewish sector, this name is in second place, but due to the fact that there are almost no non-Jewish children named this (21), it is positioned below David in the general public list.

1. Raphael (875)

Fourth place in the Jewish sector and seventh in the general sector; it holds these positions consistently every year.

1. Omer (867)

This name is also on the list unequivocally thanks to the non-Jewish population; in the Jewish population data from the last 5 years, it barely entered the top ten in 2021, and not at all since then.

1. Eitan (744)

This name is popular mainly among families where at least one parent is not Israeli, perhaps because it is the equivalent of the popular Ethan in English-speaking countries.

1. Michael (735)

This name is also more popular among the Jewish population, but drops in the general ranking because of a few dozen (70, to be precise) non-Jewish parents who named their sons Eitan. It is interesting to note that in none of the previous years did Michael enter the top ten (neither general nor Jewish).