NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Dawood

A masculine given name of Arabic origin meaning "beloved.".

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.

Dawood is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Dawood popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #945, with 33 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 35 births.

This profile covers 574 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 94% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 579 living people in the UK are called Dawood. 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

  • Dawood ranked #945 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 33 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2016, when 35 boys were registered as Dawood.
  • Dawood ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
  • About 579 living people in the UK are estimated to have Dawood as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#945

2024

Births in 2024

33

Latest year

Peak year

2016

35 births

Estimated living

579

2026

Meaning

What does Dawood mean?

The name Dawood is an Arabic name derived from the Hebrew name David, which means "beloved" or "friend." It traces its origins to the Biblical figure of King David, a prominent figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The name has been in use for thousands of years and has had various spellings and pronunciations across different cultures and languages.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, David was a shepherd who became the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel and Judah. He is revered as a prophet in Islam and is mentioned in the Quran as a righteous king and warrior who fought against the enemies of God. The Quran also refers to him as Dawood, which is the Arabic version of his name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dawood can be found in the Quran, where it is mentioned several times. The name has been popular among Muslims since the advent of Islam in the 7th century AD.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Dawood. One of the most famous was Dawood Khan, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India, who ruled from 1526 to 1530. Another notable figure was Dawood Pasha, an Ottoman governor and military commander who lived in the 16th century.

In the modern era, Dawood has been a popular name in various parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia. Some notable individuals with this name include Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian crime boss and the former leader of the D-Company criminal organization; Dawood Khan, a Pakistani cricketer who played in the 1970s and 1980s; and Dawood Khan Mehmood Khelji, a former Prime Minister of Pakistan in the 1960s.

Other historical figures with the name Dawood include Dawood Al-Jalili, an Islamic scholar and mathematician from the 11th century; Dawood Khan Karrani, the ruler of the Bengal Sultanate in the 16th century; and Dawood Anari, a famous Persian poet and mystic from the 14th century.

The name Dawood has a rich historical and cultural significance, tracing its roots back to ancient times and spanning various religions and cultures. Its enduring popularity over the centuries is a testament to its timeless appeal and the reverence for the Biblical figure from whom it derives its meaning.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Dawood over time

The chart below shows babies named Dawood 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 Dawood, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 33 births in 2024, compared with 35 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Dawood
09182635199620102024

Decades

Dawood by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Dawood 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 #1130 126 5
2010s #1046 273 10
2000s #1274 149 10
1990s #1971 26 4

Geography

Where Dawood is most common

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

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

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Dawood in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#727 in 2024

3 years of NRS records, 9 total registered

Related

Names similar to Dawood

FAQ

Dawood: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Dawood was ranked #945 for boys in England and Wales, with 33 births registered.

When was Dawood most popular?

The peak year on record was 2016, with 35 babies registered as Dawood in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Dawood?

A masculine given name of Arabic origin meaning "beloved.".

How many people are called Dawood in the UK?

A total of 574 babies have been registered as Dawood across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 9 more in Scotland.

Where is Dawood most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Dawood 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.