NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Ayaz

A masculine Turkish name meaning "morning star" or "bright star".

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.

Ayaz is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Ayaz popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #560, with 68 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 68 births.

This profile covers 706 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.

Ayaz is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 709 living people in the UK are called Ayaz. 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

  • Ayaz ranked #560 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 68 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 68 boys were registered as Ayaz.
  • Ayaz ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
  • About 709 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ayaz as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#560

2024

Births in 2024

68

Latest year

Peak year

2024

68 births

Estimated living

709

2026

Meaning

What does Ayaz mean?

The name Ayaz has its origins in the Persian language and is believed to have been derived from the word "Ayaz," which means "morning breeze" or "cool breeze." It is a masculine name that has been used in various cultures and regions influenced by Persian culture and language.

The earliest known recorded use of the name Ayaz dates back to the 11th century in the Persian literature. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Ayaz, a Turkish slave who rose to become a powerful military commander and confidant of the Seljuk Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in the early 11th century. Their story, which is said to be a romantic one, is immortalized in Persian literature and poetry.

In the 12th century, the name Ayaz was also mentioned in the works of the celebrated Persian poet and scholar, Nizami Ganjavi. One of his famous works, "Khosrow and Shirin," features a character named Ayaz, who is portrayed as a loyal and devoted servant to the king.

Another notable historical figure with the name Ayaz was Ayaz Ismail Muhammed, a 16th-century Ottoman poet and scholar from present-day Bulgaria. He was known for his contributions to Ottoman literature and his works on Islamic jurisprudence.

In the Indian subcontinent, the name Ayaz gained popularity during the Mughal era, which was heavily influenced by Persian culture. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Ayaz Khan, a 17th-century Mughal nobleman who served as a general in the army of Emperor Aurangzeb.

Moving forward in history, Ayaz Ali Khan Shushtari was a 19th-century Persian poet and scholar who was renowned for his literary works and contributions to the study of Persian literature.

Throughout its history, the name Ayaz has been borne by various individuals from different walks of life, including poets, scholars, military commanders, and nobles, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and significance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ayaz over time

The chart below shows babies named Ayaz 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 Ayaz, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 68 births in 2024, compared with 68 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Ayaz
017345168199620102024

Decades

Ayaz by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ayaz 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 #664 269 5
2010s #951 327 10
2000s #2111 82 10
1990s #1656 28 4

Geography

Where Ayaz is most common

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

Ayaz ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Ayaz in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#727 in 2024

2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered

Related

Names similar to Ayaz

FAQ

Ayaz: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Ayaz was ranked #560 for boys in England and Wales, with 68 births registered.

When was Ayaz most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 68 babies registered as Ayaz in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ayaz?

A masculine Turkish name meaning "morning star" or "bright star".

How many people are called Ayaz in the UK?

A total of 706 babies have been registered as Ayaz across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland.

Where is Ayaz most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Ayaz ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #727 in 2024. 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.