NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Anisa

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "companion" or "friend".

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.

Anisa is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Anisa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1065, with 32 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2002, with 147 births.

This profile covers 2,502 England and Wales registrations across 29 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 2,520 living people in the UK are called Anisa. 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

  • Anisa ranked #1065 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 32 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2002, when 147 girls were registered as Anisa.
  • Anisa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #806 in 2015.
  • About 2,520 living people in the UK are estimated to have Anisa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1065

2024

Births in 2024

32

Latest year

Peak year

2002

147 births

Estimated living

2,520

2026

Meaning

What does Anisa mean?

The name Anisa has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "uns," which means companionship, intimacy, or familiarity. The name is believed to have emerged during the early Islamic era, around the 7th century AD.

Anisa was a relatively common name among Arab women during the medieval period. It was often given to daughters as a symbol of the close bond between a mother and her child. The name carried positive connotations of warmth, affection, and closeness.

While the name Anisa does not appear explicitly in the Quran or other Islamic religious texts, it is rooted in Arabic linguistic and cultural traditions. Some scholars suggest that the name may have been inspired by the Quranic concept of "uns," which refers to the companionship and trust between individuals and with God.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Anisa can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab poet and philosopher Al-Mutanabbi, who lived in the 10th century AD. In his poetry, he mentioned a woman named Anisa, praising her beauty and grace.

Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Anisa. Among them is Anisa Jibawi (born 1991), an American social media personality and internet celebrity known for her comedic sketches and vlogs. Another prominent figure is Anisa Mehdi (1928-2016), an Afghan-American filmmaker and journalist who documented the plight of Afghan refugees during the Soviet-Afghan war.

In the literary world, Anisa Bakija (born 1951) is a notable Bosnian writer and translator, known for her works exploring the experiences of women in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. Anisa Izquierdo (born 1958) is a Spanish writer and journalist who has published several novels and non-fiction works.

Another notable Anisa is Anisa Jemni (born 1988), a Tunisian athlete who competed in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, representing Tunisia in the heptathlon and long jump events.

These are just a few examples of women throughout history who have carried the name Anisa, a name that reflects a rich cultural heritage and a sense of intimacy and companionship.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Anisa over time

The chart below shows babies named Anisa 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 Anisa, the clearest high point is 2002. The latest England and Wales figure is 32 births in 2024, compared with 147 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Anisa
03774110147199620102024

Decades

Anisa by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Anisa 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 #1234 134 5
2010s #741 599 10
2000s #339 1,226 10
1990s #278 543 4

Geography

Where Anisa is most common

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

Anisa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #806 in 2015.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Anisa in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#806 in 2015

9 years of NRS records, 33 total registered

Related

Names similar to Anisa

FAQ

Anisa: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Anisa was ranked #1065 for girls in England and Wales, with 32 births registered.

When was Anisa most popular?

The peak year on record was 2002, with 147 babies registered as Anisa in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Anisa?

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "companion" or "friend".

How many people are called Anisa in the UK?

A total of 2,502 babies have been registered as Anisa across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 33 more in Scotland.

Where is Anisa most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Anisa ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #806 in 2015. 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.