These European Countries Rang In New Year By Welcoming Non-European Babies

Europe is celebrating 2026 by welcoming a slate of non-European babies. 

In Avignon, France, a baby named Zaïd was born around 1:30 a.m., according to French newspaper La Provence, making him the hospital’s first baby of the year. La Provence notes that Zaïd “means ‘growth’ or ‘prosperity’ in Arabic.” One way to gauge a foreign population’s hostility (or lack thereof) towards assimilation is by the names they give their children. A non-foreign name is a gift which costs no money, but nevertheless, is a somewhat costly symbol of appreciation towards one’s host country. In Mayotte, a small French overseas region, “[a]round 70 percent of the 10,000 babies born in the maternity hospital of Mayotte’s biggest town Mamoudzou are born to illegal migrants,” France 24 reported in 2018. (RELATED: Europe’s Left Whines As Christians Defend Christmas)

In Erlangen, Germany, a baby named Abdullah was the first to be born in 2026 at the Erlangen University Hospital, according to German newspaper Nürnberger Nachrichten. He was reportedly born at 1:21 a.m. 

In Ireland, the first baby born in Drogheda’s Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital was named Mustafa, born to mother Ifrah Mir, according to Irish newspaper the Meath Chronicle. Other babies born across Ireland on Jan. 1 were reportedly named Elliot, Laso (born to Zilan Aziz and Halo Mohammed), Millie, Kash, Leo, Frances, and Anjali (born to Ranjitha Sivakumar).

In Vienna, the capital of Austria, about 40 percent of newborns did not have an Austrian passport, according to Austrian newspaper Heute on Dec. 31, 2025. That figure has risen 20 percent in 20 years, the outlet claims. In some Austrian districts, over 50 percent of newborns are not Austrian citizens, says Heute.

Immigration to Europe actually makes the impending demographic collapse worse: European social welfare states will have to support not only their own aging populations but millions of foreign welfare recipients. pic.twitter.com/j3MS5UpSU1

— Andrew Hammel (@AndrewHammel1) July 28, 2024

Muhammad was the “top choice for parents naming their baby boys in England and Wales in 2023, with more than 4,600 children registered with the name,” overtaking the previous top name, Noah, the BBC reported in December 2024. The BBC notes that Muhammad “has been among the top 10 names for baby boys since 2016” and that “[o]ther spellings of the name Mohammed and Mohammad also made the top 100 list for England and Wales.” It’s probably safe to assume that most of these Muhammads are not born to native British parents, with the exception of a smattering of Islamic converts. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: We Talked To The Muslim ‘Republican’ Candidate Who Says Party Looks Like Her Now. We’re Still Confused.)

Spain, which has a significant and growing foreign-born population, reportedly welcomed a baby girl named Olivia Sánchez Salazar on Jan. 1, born to Colombian parents. But the first birth of the year in Spain goes to Elena Cortina Gistau, according to Spanish newspaper Aragon Digital, born to mother Cristina Cortina.

“It used to be thought that mass migration was unambiguously good for the economy. Yet in Britain and other major European economies, the past 25 years have witnessed unprecedented levels of immigration and a significant slowdown in the rate of economic and productivity…

— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) December 12, 2024

There were other “first babies” of 2026 born in Europe to (apparent) Europeans. The Czech Republic — which has more stringent immigration standards than many others the continent — reportedly welcomed a boy named Matyáš at 12:07 a.m. on Jan. 1, at Pilsen University Hospital. Prague Morning notes that other babies born at Pilsen on Jan. 1 include Denis and Amálie. In Prague, the first baby of the year was reportedly named Oliver. 

Admittedly, reports on the first baby of the year at a given hospital are not a comprehensive measure of Europe’s immigration problem. But, taken alongside reporting on Muslim rape gangs and attacks on Christmas markets, they paint a grim picture. 

Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC