NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Ailah

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

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.

Ailah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ailah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3695, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 10 births.

This profile covers 81 England and Wales registrations across 13 recorded years from 2009 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 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 93 living people in the UK are called Ailah. 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

  • Ailah ranked #3695 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2020, when 10 girls were registered as Ailah.
  • Ailah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #749 in 2023.
  • About 93 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ailah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3695

2024

Births in 2024

6

Latest year

Peak year

2020

10 births

Estimated living

93

2026

Meaning

What does Ailah mean?

The name Ailah has its roots in the Arabic language, originating in the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "aliyah," which means "exalted" or "elevated." The name is believed to have emerged during the early Islamic period, around the 7th century CE.

Ailah is often associated with the concept of spiritual ascension or elevation, reflecting the Islamic belief in striving towards a higher state of being. In some Islamic traditions, the name is also linked to the idea of migration or journey, particularly in the context of the hijrah (migration of Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ailah can be found in the works of medieval Arabic scholars and poets. The 9th-century poet Abbasid al-Mutanabbi wrote a poem praising a woman named Ailah, describing her as a beacon of beauty and virtue.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ailah. One of the earliest was Ailah bint Abi Bakr (born around 605 CE), the daughter of Abu Bakr, the first caliph of Islam and a close companion of Prophet Muhammad. She is revered in Islamic history for her piety and devotion to the faith.

Another prominent figure was Ailah al-Andalusiyah (born around 1050 CE), a renowned poet and scholar from the Andalusian region of Spain during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization. Her works explored themes of love, spirituality, and the beauty of nature.

In the 13th century, Ailah al-Baghdadiyah (born around 1220 CE) was a celebrated calligrapher and artist from Baghdad, known for her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works adorning mosques and manuscripts.

During the Ottoman Empire, Ailah Khanum (born around 1520 CE) was a influential figure in the imperial harem, serving as the chief consort to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She was renowned for her intelligence, political acumen, and patronage of the arts.

In more recent times, Ailah Baksh (1880-1958) was a prominent Indian Muslim educator and social reformer, dedicated to promoting women's education and empowerment in the subcontinent.

These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the name Ailah throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of their respective cultures and eras.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ailah over time

The chart below shows babies named Ailah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2009 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 Ailah, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 10 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Ailah
035810200920162024

Decades

Ailah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ailah 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 #3653 27 4
2010s #3649 50 8
2000s #4564 4 1

Geography

Where Ailah is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ailah. 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.

Ailah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #749 in 2023.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Ailah in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#749 in 2023

4 years of NRS records, 12 total registered

Related

Names similar to Ailah

FAQ

Ailah: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Ailah was ranked #3695 for girls in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.

When was Ailah most popular?

The peak year on record was 2020, with 10 babies registered as Ailah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ailah?

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

How many people are called Ailah in the UK?

A total of 81 babies have been registered as Ailah across the 13 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 12 more in Scotland.

Where is Ailah most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Ailah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #749 in 2023. 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.