NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Arfa

An Arabic name for a female meaning "wise" or "knowledgeable".

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.

Arfa is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Arfa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #952, with 37 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 39 births.

This profile covers 390 England and Wales registrations across 24 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 95% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 395 living people in the UK are called Arfa. 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

  • Arfa ranked #952 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 37 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2012, when 39 girls were registered as Arfa.
  • Arfa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #765 in 2019.
  • About 395 living people in the UK are estimated to have Arfa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#952

2024

Births in 2024

37

Latest year

Peak year

2012

39 births

Estimated living

395

2026

Meaning

What does Arfa mean?

The name Arfa is of Arabic origin and is derived from the word "arf" which means "fragrance" or "perfume." It is believed to have emerged in the Middle East during the medieval period.

The earliest recorded use of the name Arfa dates back to the 12th century when it was mentioned in a book of Arabic poetry. The name was relatively uncommon at the time, but it gained popularity in certain regions of the Arab world.

One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Arfa was a Sufi mystic and poet from the 13th century known as Arfa Riwgari. She was known for her profound spiritual writings and her influence on the Sufi tradition.

In the 14th century, an Islamic scholar and jurist named Arfa al-Din al-Samarkandi made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence. He was born in Samarkand, which was a major center of learning during the Golden Age of Islam.

Fast forward to the 19th century, and we find Arfa Karim, a renowned Indian poet and writer who composed works in both Urdu and Persian languages. She was born in 1835 and was celebrated for her literary talents during her lifetime.

Another notable figure with the name Arfa was Arfa Karim Randhawa, a Pakistani computer prodigy who gained international recognition for her exceptional programming skills at a very young age. She was born in 1995 and tragically passed away in 2012 at the age of 16.

In the realm of music, Arfa Gul is a contemporary Afghan singer and songwriter who has gained popularity for her contributions to the revival of Afghan folk music. She was born in 1988 and continues to perform and record music.

While the name Arfa has its roots in the Arabic language, it has been adopted and used in various cultures throughout history, often carrying connotations of beauty, fragrance, and artistic expression.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Arfa over time

The chart below shows babies named Arfa 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 Arfa, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 37 births in 2024, compared with 39 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Arfa
010202939199620102024

Decades

Arfa by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Arfa 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 #1361 122 5
2010s #1646 226 10
2000s #3697 34 7
1990s #3283 8 2

Geography

Where Arfa is most common

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

Arfa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #765 in 2019.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Arfa in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#765 in 2019

2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered

Related

Names similar to Arfa

FAQ

Arfa: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Arfa was ranked #952 for girls in England and Wales, with 37 births registered.

When was Arfa most popular?

The peak year on record was 2012, with 39 babies registered as Arfa in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Arfa?

An Arabic name for a female meaning "wise" or "knowledgeable".

How many people are called Arfa in the UK?

A total of 390 babies have been registered as Arfa across the 24 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland.

Where is Arfa most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Arfa ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #765 in 2019. 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.