NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Aalia

A feminine Arabic name meaning "sublime" or "exalted".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Aalia is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Aalia popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3015, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 37 births.

This profile covers 467 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 22% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 471 living people in the UK are called Aalia. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Aalia ranked #3015 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 8 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2014, when 37 girls were registered as Aalia.
  • Aalia ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #798 in 2016.
  • About 471 living people in the UK are estimated to have Aalia as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3015

2024

Births in 2024

8

Latest year

Peak year

2014

37 births

Estimated living

471

2026

Meaning

What does Aalia mean?

The name Aalia has its roots in Arabic, originating from the word 'Aaliyah' which means 'exalted' or 'sublime'. It is believed to have been in use as early as the 7th century, during the rise of Islam and the spread of the Arabic language across the Middle East and North Africa.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. In the Quran, the name 'Aaliyah' is used to describe the highest level of Paradise, signifying its elevated status and divine nature.

Throughout history, the name Aalia has been borne by several notable figures, including Aalia al-Mahdiyya (1155-1242), a renowned Sufi mystic and poet from Mosul, Iraq. Her writings and teachings on Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, have left a lasting impact on Islamic spirituality.

In the 14th century, Aalia Khatun (1313-1355) was a prominent ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in India. She served as the regent for her minor son, Sultan Firuz Shah, and is credited with significant administrative reforms and construction projects during her reign.

Moving forward, Aalia Gharam (1560-1623) was a celebrated Mughal princess and poet, known for her contributions to the literary and cultural scene of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century.

More recently, Aalia Bano (1925-2016) was a Pakistani classical singer and composer, who played a vital role in preserving and promoting the rich musical traditions of the subcontinent. Her compositions and renditions of ghazals and thumris have earned her widespread acclaim.

Another notable figure is Aalia Ennaoui (1953-present), a Moroccan social activist and advocate for women's rights. She has been at the forefront of campaigns against gender-based violence and has worked tirelessly to improve the status of women in Moroccan society.

These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have carried the name Aalia throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human civilization.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Aalia over time

The chart below shows babies named Aalia registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Aalia, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2024, compared with 37 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Aalia
09192837199620102024

Decades

Aalia by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Aalia was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #2087 72 5
2010s #1363 246 10
2000s #1888 115 10
1990s #1671 34 3

Geography

Where Aalia is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Aalia. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Aalia ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #798 in 2016.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Aalia in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#798 in 2016

2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered

Related

Names similar to Aalia

FAQ

Aalia: questions and answers

How popular is the name Aalia in the UK right now?

In 2024, Aalia was ranked #3015 for girls in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.

When was Aalia most popular?

The peak year on record was 2014, with 37 babies registered as Aalia in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Aalia?

A feminine Arabic name meaning "sublime" or "exalted".

How many people are called Aalia in the UK?

A total of 467 babies have been registered as Aalia across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.

Where is Aalia most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Aalia ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #798 in 2016. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.