Choosing baby names: Shahrukhs and Salmans could top the charts

The cleric from Meerut who recently exhorted people not to call their sons after the Bollywood Khans Shahrukh and Salman will be pleased to learn that Muhammad - in various spellings - emerged as the most popular name in London in 2012, and was second only to Harry for the whole of England and Wales. As Muhammad/Mohammed jumped to combined second place from 19th/22nd spot respectively in a year, it bids fair to clinch the top rank nationwide next year. Since the rising incidence of this familiar but non-British name is being attributed to the increasing percentage of foreign-origin residents particularly in London, Shahrukhs and Salmans could start surfacing on the charts too as Indians now officially comprise the largest group in that segment. Betting agents need to be alerted.

Given that urban Indians currently appear to favour names with not more than three syllables and six letters, the eight-letter name's popularity in the UK should be heartening for traditionalists of all hues. Indeed, there seems to be a distinct, if incomprehensible, penchant for concise names, especially starting with A or double-A, etymological twists notwithstanding. As that list includes Shahrukh Khan himself, who has named his sons Aryan and AbRam, the cleric's fatwa appears to be quite misdirected if not premature.