UK girl's name
Afshan
A Persian name meaning "the act of spreading or scattering".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2009. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Afshan is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Afshan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2009 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5556, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2001, with 6 births.
This profile covers 25 England and Wales registrations across 6 recorded years from 1996 to 2009. 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 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 36 living people in the UK are called Afshan. 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 2010 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Afshan ranked #5556 for girls in England and Wales in 2009, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2001, when 6 girls were registered as Afshan.
- • Afshan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #465 in 1982.
- • About 36 living people in the UK are estimated to have Afshan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5556
2009
Births in 2009
3
Latest year
Peak year
2001
6 births
Estimated living
36
2026
Meaning
What does Afshan mean?
The name Afshan is of Persian origin and is derived from the Persian word "afshandân," which means "to scatter" or "to sprinkle." The name is closely associated with the Persian culture and has been in use for centuries.
In Persian literature, the name Afshan is often used as a metaphor for the scattering of petals or the beauty of nature. It is believed that the name was first used during the reign of the Sassanid Empire, which ruled over ancient Persia from the 3rd to the 7th century AD.
The earliest recorded use of the name Afshan can be found in the famous Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. In the epic, there is a character named Afshan, who is described as a beautiful and graceful woman.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Afshan was Afshan Khanum, a 16th-century Persian princess and the daughter of Shah Tahmasp I. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and patronage of the arts.
Another notable person with the name Afshan was Afshan Qizilbash, a 17th-century Persian noblewoman and the wife of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. She played a significant role in the cultural and architectural development of the Mughal Empire.
In the field of literature, Afshan Anjum was a prominent 20th-century Urdu poet and writer from Pakistan. She was born in 1918 and is renowned for her contributions to Urdu poetry and prose.
Afshan Bokhari, born in 1947, is a renowned Pakistani artist and painter. She is known for her unique style of abstract expressionism and has received numerous awards and accolades for her work.
In the realm of music, Afshan Ara Zilli was a celebrated Pakistani classical singer and composer. Born in 1922, she was awarded the Pride of Performance by the Pakistani government for her contributions to the field of music.
The name Afshan continues to be a popular choice for girls in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with Persian cultural influences. Its elegant and poetic meaning has made it a beloved name across generations.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Afshan over time
The chart below shows babies named Afshan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2009. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Afshan, the clearest high point is 2001. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2009, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Afshan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Afshan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #4182 | 13 | 3 |
| 1990s | #3223 | 12 | 3 |
Geography
Where Afshan is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Afshan. 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.
Afshan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #465 in 1982.
Across the UK
Afshan in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#465 in 1982
3 years of NRS records, 11 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Afshan
-
Afshan Azad
actor; model; film actor; YouTuber
English actress and model
1988-
Related
Names similar to Afshan
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Afshan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Afshan in the UK right now?
In 2009, Afshan was ranked #5556 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Afshan most popular?
The peak year on record was 2001, with 6 babies registered as Afshan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Afshan?
A Persian name meaning "the act of spreading or scattering".
How many people are called Afshan in the UK?
A total of 25 babies have been registered as Afshan across the 6 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 11 more in Scotland.
Where is Afshan most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Afshan ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #465 in 1982. 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.