UK girl's name
Anniyah
A name of Arabic origin meaning "answered prayer" or "gift from God".
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.
Anniyah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Anniyah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 55 births.
This profile covers 327 England and Wales registrations across 19 recorded years from 2005 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 7% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 328 living people in the UK are called Anniyah. 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
- • Anniyah ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2012, when 55 girls were registered as Anniyah.
- • Anniyah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #815 in 2012.
- • About 328 living people in the UK are estimated to have Anniyah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4843
2024
Births in 2024
4
Latest year
Peak year
2012
55 births
Estimated living
328
2026
Meaning
What does Anniyah mean?
The name Anniyah is a feminine Arabic name derived from the word "Ani" meaning "to return" or "to come back." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the 7th century AD, around the time of the Islamic Golden Age.
The earliest known record of the name Anniyah can be traced back to a poem written by the famous Arabic poet Al-Khansa (575-645 AD), where she mentions a woman named Anniyah. This suggests that the name was already in use during the early days of Islam.
In Islamic tradition, the name Anniyah is often associated with the concept of repentance and returning to Allah. It is believed that the name carries a spiritual significance and serves as a reminder for individuals to seek forgiveness and embrace a righteous path.
One of the most renowned historical figures with the name Anniyah was Anniyah bint Abi Bakr (610-684 AD), the daughter of the first Caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr. She was known for her piety, knowledge of the Quran, and her role as a respected scholar and teacher.
Another notable figure was Anniyah al-Sulami (d. 920 AD), a Sufi mystic and poet from Baghdad. Her writings and teachings had a profound impact on the development of Sufism and Islamic spirituality during the Abbasid Caliphate.
In the 12th century, Anniyah al-Qurashiya (1098-1180 AD) was a prominent female scholar and jurist from Cordoba, Andalusia. She was highly respected for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the field of Maliki fiqh.
During the Ottoman Empire, Anniyah Sultan (1533-1605) was a influential member of the Ottoman imperial family. She was the daughter of Sultan Selim II and played a significant role in the political and cultural affairs of the empire.
More recently, Anniyah Nana Mahmoud (1923-2018) was a renowned Egyptian writer and journalist. She was known for her powerful literary works that explored themes of social justice, women's rights, and the struggles of the Arab world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Anniyah over time
The chart below shows babies named Anniyah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2005 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 Anniyah, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 55 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Anniyah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Anniyah 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 | #4735 | 16 | 4 |
| 2010s | #1582 | 254 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2951 | 57 | 5 |
Geography
Where Anniyah is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Anniyah. 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.
Anniyah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #815 in 2012.
Across the UK
Anniyah in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#815 in 2012
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Anniyah
- 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
Anniyah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Anniyah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Anniyah was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Anniyah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2012, with 55 babies registered as Anniyah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Anniyah?
A name of Arabic origin meaning "answered prayer" or "gift from God".
How many people are called Anniyah in the UK?
A total of 327 babies have been registered as Anniyah across the 19 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Anniyah most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Anniyah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #815 in 2012. 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.