You seem to be implying that there is a huge demographic shift when the reality is that, just as was common in the UK 100 years ago, in the Muslim population men get one of 5 names and 4 of them are Mohammed.
The UK via colonialism has deep connections to India and Pakistan going back hundreds of years. We have a very significant population from the Indian subcontinent plus many other people from all over. London is more diverse than New York.
Meanwhile John isn’t in the top 100 male names. Not because of a lack of “white” people, but because people now prioritize “uniqueness” in names and in the UK fashions move much faster than they do in the US.
Lyra is popular because of the Phillip Pullman books which most people haven’t read and is a name they know because a pop star used it for their daughter. Noah is popular because of a pop song from the early 2000s. Alfie is tied to a classic Michael Caine movie, a couple of celebrities, and yet another pop song. 40 years ago these names were unheard of.
On top of that despite being a Christian country, people in the UK shun most Old Testament biblical names bar those which have been anglicized by time and royalty. No Ezekiel’s or Methuselahs here.
> The US list also favors a newer wave of ancient biblical names that only gained real traction in recent decades, giving them a more modern feel despite their centuries of history. Levi, Asher, Ezra, Josiah, Ezekiel, Silas, Adriel and Micah all rank in the American top 100 for boys. Some of these revivals are shared favorites, including Noah, Elijah, Isaac, Caleb and Ezra, and Delilah and Eden for girls.
From the article, plus the two UK biblical names Jude and Reuben. For the UK, I think most of these are second-order, if that is the right way to describe appreciating a name without using it for the same reason as the parents being copied.
It's the same everywhere: parents trying to force things through that they know kids won't like ... both when it comes to changing their behavior and making a separate group from others.
