UK girl's name
Ayah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "sign" or "miracle".
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.
Ayah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ayah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #162, with 314 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 314 births.
This profile covers 2,689 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.
Ayah is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 2,722 living people in the UK are called Ayah. 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
- • Ayah ranked #162 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 314 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 314 girls were registered as Ayah.
- • Ayah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #482 in 2023.
- • About 2,722 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ayah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#162
2024
Births in 2024
314
Latest year
Peak year
2024
314 births
Estimated living
2,722
2026
Meaning
What does Ayah mean?
The name Ayah has its origins in the Arabic language, originating from the Middle Eastern region. It is derived from the Arabic word "ayah," which means a "sign" or a "verse" in the Quran, the holy book of Islam.
In Islamic tradition, the word "ayah" refers to the individual verses or signs from Allah (God) that make up the chapters of the Quran. This name holds significant religious and spiritual connotations for Muslims, as it symbolizes the divine revelations and teachings found within the sacred text.
The earliest recorded use of Ayah as a given name can be traced back to the 7th century, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the emergence of Islam. However, it is believed that the name may have been in use even earlier among Arabic-speaking communities in the Middle East.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ayah, including:
1. Ayah bint al-Shati (650-684 CE), a renowned Arabic poet and scholar during the Umayyad Caliphate. 2. Ayah al-Qurtubia (1010-1087 CE), a famous female Islamic scholar and jurist from Cordoba, Spain, known for her expertise in Maliki jurisprudence. 3. Ayah bint Ahmad (1268-1323 CE), a prominent Sufi mystic and poet from Damascus, Syria, renowned for her spiritual poetry and teachings. 4. Ayah al-Baghdadiya (1480-1535 CE), a notable calligrapher and artist from Baghdad, Iraq, known for her exquisite calligraphic works and illuminated manuscripts. 5. Ayah Noor (1912-1997), a pioneering Egyptian feminist and activist who fought for women's rights and social reforms in the 20th century.
While the name Ayah has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has gained popularity across various regions and communities, transcending religious and cultural boundaries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ayah over time
The chart below shows babies named Ayah 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 Ayah, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 314 births in 2024, compared with 314 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ayah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ayah 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 | #200 | 1,300 | 5 |
| 2010s | #464 | 1,054 | 10 |
| 2000s | #967 | 298 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1776 | 37 | 4 |
Geography
Where Ayah is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ayah. 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.
Ayah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #482 in 2023.
Across the UK
Ayah in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#482 in 2023
10 years of NRS records, 45 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ayah
-
Ayah Marar
actor; singer
Jordanian musician
1980-
Related
Names similar to Ayah
- 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
Ayah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ayah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Ayah was ranked #162 for girls in England and Wales, with 314 births registered.
When was Ayah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 314 babies registered as Ayah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ayah?
A feminine Arabic name meaning "sign" or "miracle".
How many people are called Ayah in the UK?
A total of 2,689 babies have been registered as Ayah across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 45 more in Scotland.
Where is Ayah most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ayah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #482 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.