NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Ayoub

A masculine Arabic name meaning "Job" or "the restorer".

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.

Ayoub is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Ayoub popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #814, with 40 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 41 births.

This profile covers 691 England and Wales registrations across 28 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 98% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 699 living people in the UK are called Ayoub. 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

  • Ayoub ranked #814 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 40 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2015, when 41 boys were registered as Ayoub.
  • Ayoub ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
  • About 699 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ayoub as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#814

2024

Births in 2024

40

Latest year

Peak year

2015

41 births

Estimated living

699

2026

Meaning

What does Ayoub mean?

The name Ayoub is of Arabic origin, derived from the biblical name Job, which means "afflicted" or "persecuted". It is a name associated with the virtues of patience, perseverance, and resilience in the face of adversity.

The earliest recorded use of the name Ayoub can be traced back to the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. The story of Ayoub (Job) is mentioned in the Quran, where he is portrayed as a righteous man who endured immense suffering and trials with unwavering faith and patience.

In the 10th century, the Persian poet Ferdowsi immortalized the story of Ayoub in his epic masterpiece, the Shahnameh (Book of Kings). This literary work played a significant role in preserving and disseminating the tale of Ayoub's resilience and devotion throughout the Islamic world.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ayoub. One of the earliest was Ayoub ibn Maslamah (d. 689 CE), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a renowned military leader who participated in the Muslim conquest of Syria.

Another prominent figure was Ayoub al-Sakhtiyani (d. 958 CE), a Persian Sufi mystic and poet renowned for his spiritual teachings and devotional poetry.

In more recent times, Ayoub Khán (1619-1670) was a prominent military leader and governor of the Mughal Empire, known for his military campaigns and administrative reforms.

Ayoub Sabri Pasha (1833-1890) was an Ottoman statesman and reformer who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire and played a crucial role in implementing the Tanzimat reforms.

Ayoub Khan Durrani (1857-1914) was an Afghan military commander and guerilla leader who fought against the British during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, earning him the moniker "The Hero of Maiwand" for his victory at the Battle of Maiwand in 1880.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ayoub over time

The chart below shows babies named Ayoub 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 Ayoub, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 40 births in 2024, compared with 41 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Ayoub
010213141199620102024

Decades

Ayoub by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ayoub 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 #950 160 5
2010s #916 329 10
2000s #1155 177 10
1990s #1481 25 3

Geography

Where Ayoub is most common

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

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

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Ayoub in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#727 in 2024

4 years of NRS records, 13 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Ayoub

  • Ayoub Assal

    association football player

    English footballer

    2002-

  • Ayoub El Hmidi

    association football player

    Gibraltarian association football player

    2000-

  • Ayoub Khan

    politician; lawyer

    British politician, from 2024, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr

    1973-

Related

Names similar to Ayoub

FAQ

Ayoub: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Ayoub was ranked #814 for boys in England and Wales, with 40 births registered.

When was Ayoub most popular?

The peak year on record was 2015, with 41 babies registered as Ayoub in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ayoub?

A masculine Arabic name meaning "Job" or "the restorer".

How many people are called Ayoub in the UK?

A total of 691 babies have been registered as Ayoub across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 13 more in Scotland.

Where is Ayoub most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Ayoub 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.