UK boy's name
Arif
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "knowledgeable" or "wise".
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.
Arif is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Arif popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1322, with 20 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 34 births.
This profile covers 560 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 59% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 571 living people in the UK are called Arif. 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
- • Arif ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 20 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 34 boys were registered as Arif.
- • Arif ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #336 in 1992.
- • About 571 living people in the UK are estimated to have Arif as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1322
2024
Births in 2024
20
Latest year
Peak year
2006
34 births
Estimated living
571
2026
Meaning
What does Arif mean?
The name Arif is of Arabic origin and is derived from the Arabic word 'arafa', which means 'to know' or 'to recognize'. It is a masculine name that has been in use since ancient times in the Arab world and some parts of the Middle East.
The name Arif has a strong connection to Islamic culture and history. In Arabic literature, the word 'arif' is often used to refer to a person who has deep spiritual knowledge or a mystic. The name is mentioned in several Islamic texts and scriptures, including the Quran and the Hadith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arif can be found in the writings of the famous Sufi poet and philosopher, Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273 AD). Rumi's works are filled with references to the concept of 'arif', and he often used it to describe those who had attained a higher level of spiritual understanding.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Arif. One of the most renowned is Arif Qazvini (1263-1325 AD), a Persian philosopher and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and wrote several influential works on the subject.
Another prominent figure with the name Arif is Arif Wiqar Ali (1923-1997), a Pakistani writer and poet who is considered one of the most influential figures in Urdu literature. His works, which often explored themes of love, spirituality, and social issues, earned him numerous awards and accolades.
In the field of music, Arif Mardin (1932-2006) was a Turkish-American record producer and arranger who worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, and Norah Jones. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Another notable figure with the name Arif is Arif Dirlik (1940-2021), a Turkish-American historian and sociologist who made significant contributions to the field of critical theory and postcolonial studies.
Finally, Arif Husain (1938-2021) was an Indian-American mathematician and computer scientist who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of artificial intelligence. He is best known for his work on the development of the first chess-playing computer program, which was a major milestone in the field of AI.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Arif over time
The chart below shows babies named Arif 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 Arif, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 20 births in 2024, compared with 34 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arif by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Arif 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 | #1950 | 61 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1833 | 135 | 10 |
| 2000s | #813 | 279 | 10 |
| 1990s | #759 | 85 | 4 |
Geography
Where Arif is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Arif. 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.
Arif ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #336 in 1992.
Across the UK
Arif in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#336 in 1992
4 years of NRS records, 16 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Arif
-
Arif Ahmed
academic; philosopher
British philosopher
1974-
-
Arif Anis
author
author
-
Arif Hussain
politician
member of Leeds City Council
Related
Names similar to Arif
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Arif: questions and answers
How popular is the name Arif in the UK right now?
In 2024, Arif was ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales, with 20 births registered.
When was Arif most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 34 babies registered as Arif in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Arif?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "knowledgeable" or "wise".
How many people are called Arif in the UK?
A total of 560 babies have been registered as Arif across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 16 more in Scotland.
Where is Arif most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Arif ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #336 in 1992. 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.