NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Dua

An Arabic feminine name meaning "invocation" or "prayer".

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.

Dua is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Dua popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #151, with 337 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 337 births.

This profile covers 2,124 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 1999 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.

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

We estimate that about 2,182 living people in the UK are called Dua. 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

  • Dua ranked #151 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 337 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 337 girls were registered as Dua.
  • Dua ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #207 in 2024.
  • About 2,182 living people in the UK are estimated to have Dua as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#151

2024

Births in 2024

337

Latest year

Peak year

2024

337 births

Estimated living

2,182

2026

Meaning

What does Dua mean?

The name Dua has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots dating back to the 7th century CE. In Arabic, the word "dua" means "invocation" or "supplication," reflecting its religious and spiritual significance within Islamic tradition.

Dua is believed to have been derived from the Arabic root word "da'a," which means "to call" or "to summon." This linguistic connection suggests that the name Dua was originally associated with the act of calling upon a higher power or invoking divine blessings.

Throughout Islamic history, the concept of dua (invocation) has held immense importance, as it represents the communication between an individual and God. Dua is frequently mentioned in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, and is considered a fundamental aspect of worship and seeking guidance.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Dua can be found in the 9th century CE, with Dua al-Muzaffar, a renowned Arab mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and the study of celestial movements.

In the 11th century, Dua al-Ghazi was a prominent military leader and ruler of the Seljuk Empire, known for his strategic prowess and victories against the Byzantine forces in Anatolia.

Another notable figure bearing the name Dua was Dua al-Khair, a 13th-century Sufi mystic and scholar from Persia (modern-day Iran). Her writings and teachings on Sufism, the mystical tradition within Islam, gained widespread recognition and influenced many subsequent generations of spiritual seekers.

During the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, Dua Pasha was a high-ranking official and military commander who played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of Ottoman power in various regions.

In more recent times, Dua Nayel, born in 1942, was a prominent Syrian poet and author whose works explored themes of love, identity, and socio-political issues. Her poetic contributions have left a lasting impact on contemporary Arabic literature.

While the name Dua has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic tradition, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained popularity across various regions and communities worldwide, serving as a reminder of the universal human desire for spiritual connection and guidance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Dua over time

The chart below shows babies named Dua registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1999 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 Dua, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 337 births in 2024, compared with 337 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Dua
084169253337199920112024

Decades

Dua by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Dua 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 #187 1,368 5
2010s #724 647 10
2000s #2278 106 9
1990s #3900 3 1

Geography

Where Dua is most common

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

Dua ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #207 in 2024.

Scotland
18

Across the UK

Dua in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#207 in 2024

9 years of NRS records, 67 total registered

Related

Names similar to Dua

FAQ

Dua: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Dua was ranked #151 for girls in England and Wales, with 337 births registered.

When was Dua most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 337 babies registered as Dua in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Dua?

An Arabic feminine name meaning "invocation" or "prayer".

How many people are called Dua in the UK?

A total of 2,124 babies have been registered as Dua across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 67 more in Scotland.

Where is Dua most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Dua ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #207 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.