The name “Yahya” saw the single largest rise in popularity among boys’ names in the UK in 2024 despite – or perhaps because of – its association with one of the world’s most notorious terrorists: Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas mastermind behind the October 7th massacre in Israel.

According to newly released data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics, 583 boys born last year were given the name Yahya—a 33-place jump in national ranking that vaulted it to the 93rd most popular boys’ name in the country.

Sinwar, also referred to as “The Butcher of Khan Younis,” was not a distant figure in 2024. As the leader of Hamas’s military operations in Gaza, he is widely regarded as the architect of the October 7 assault. The UK government has designated Hamas a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000, making any expression of support for the group—including its leaders—a criminal offense.

Though there is no confirmed link between the rise in the name Yahya and support for Sinwar, the timing is jarring. The 2024 birth data spans January to December, meaning it captures naming trends in the immediate aftermath of October 7. Sinwar was killed in an Israeli operation in Rafah in mid-October, just as the war escalated.

Sinwar’s legacy is soaked in blood. He led Hamas’s brutal internal security wing, al-Majd, and was personally involved in executing suspected collaborators, often through torture and public killings. Israeli intelligence officials have recounted stomach-turning incidents: Sinwar once forced a man to bury his own brother alive, and strangled dozens of fellow Palestinians during his reign of terror.

In 1989, he was convicted and sentenced to four life terms for the abduction and murder of Israeli soldiers and for overseeing extrajudicial killings. Ironically, in 2004, Israeli doctors removed a fatal brain tumor, saving Sinwar’s life while he was still incarcerated. In 2011, he was released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap.

The UK, home to Europe’s second-largest Jewish population, has faced growing tensions amid the Gaza conflict. The sharp rise in the name Yahya—especially in the context of Hamas’s atrocities—doesn’t offer anything comforting.

The only name to see a greater rise in popularity than “Yahya” was “Vinnie.” Meanwhile, the name “Mohammad” jumped 15 places, “Mohammed” rose 7 spots to become the 21st most popular boys’ name, and “Muhammad” held its position as the most popular name for baby boys in the UK for the second year running.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)