BAGHDAD (AFP) - Before the Iraqi dictator fell, many new-borns were proudly named after him, but with scorn being poured on Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), parents now prefer the names of revered religious leaders for their offspring.

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"We have not recorded a single Saddam since the regime fell on April 9," said Emad Fakher Hassan, an employee at the public records office in Baghdad.

Before US troops ousted the president, numerous parents chose to name their children after him.

Today, the most popular name for babies is that of Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer Hakim, the Shiite Muslim leader killed in August. "We recorded more than 20 in the week after his assassination," according to Maissun Rabiar al-Amara, who heads the public records office.