Mohammed is most popular name in Oslo

Muslims pray at the World Islamic Mission mosque in Oslo
Muslims pray at the World Islamic Mission mosque in Oslo
CATHAL MCNAUGHTON/ REUTERS

Mohammed has become the most popular male name in Oslo in the first survey to show it as the top choice for men and boys in a western European capital.

Six variants of the spelling of the name of the Islamic prophet combined to put it in first position in the general population, ahead of Jan, according to research by Statistics Norway.

The discovery comes almost a year after a conservative coalition was elected in Norway on a platform to tighten the country’s liberal asylum and immigration laws.

Mohammed in its various westernised forms has topped new-baby names for the past four years in the Norwegian capital. The name also leads the list for newborns in several other European capitals, including London, Amsterdam, Brussels and