Ali and Zahra, most popular names in Azerbaijan

most popular names in the country are Ali and Zahra

Azerbaijan’s Census Bureau has announced the most popular names in the country are Ali and Zahra. 
According to the Census Bureau of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamic names, especially the names of the prophets and the Shi’a imams, peace be upon them, are the most popular among the citizens of the former Soviet country, where atheism was forced on the traditionally Shi’a Muslim people for more than 70 years. 
The name of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, as well as other Islamic names including Yusif, Mohammad and Hussein are the most popular names among boys in Azerbaijan.
Among the most popular female names is name of the daughter of the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him and his progeny, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her. Since the beginning of 2015, 1,356 baby girls have been named Zahra in Azerbaijan. 
The other most popular girls’ names this year were Nuray, Fatima, Eylin, and Zeynab.