UK girl's name
Faya
A feminine Arabic name meaning "refuge" or "shelter".
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.
Faya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Faya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 5 births.
This profile covers 19 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 2016 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 22 living people in the UK are called Faya. 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
- • Faya ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2017, when 5 girls were registered as Faya.
- • Faya ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #418 in 2022.
- • About 22 living people in the UK are estimated to have Faya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5891
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2017
5 births
Estimated living
22
2026
Meaning
What does Faya mean?
The name Faya is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, which is spoken primarily in the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "fayya," which means "radiant" or "shining." This suggests that the name was likely given to children in the hope that they would grow up to possess a radiant and bright personality.
In the Islamic tradition, the name Faya is sometimes associated with the concept of divine light or enlightenment. It is thought to have been used as a name for girls in various parts of the Arab world, particularly in regions where Arabic was the predominant language, such as the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, and North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Faya can be found in medieval Arabic literature. Faya bint al-Qahtani was a renowned poet who lived in the 7th century CE in the Arabian Peninsula. She was known for her eloquent verses and her contributions to the preservation of Arabic literature and culture.
Another notable figure with the name Faya was Faya al-Ghazali, a 12th-century Muslim scholar and mystic from Persia (modern-day Iran). She was a prominent figure in the field of Sufism and is remembered for her writings on spiritual enlightenment and the pursuit of divine knowledge.
In more recent times, Faya Dayi was a Turkish writer and activist who lived from 1877 to 1950. She was a pioneer in the women's rights movement in Turkey and worked tirelessly to promote education and empowerment for women in her country.
Faya Ouedraogo was a Burkinabé politician and activist who lived from 1957 to 2018. She served as the Minister of Social Action and National Solidarity in Burkina Faso and was a vocal advocate for women's rights and gender equality in West Africa.
Faya Tess was an American singer and songwriter who gained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. She was known for her soulful voice and her contributions to the contemporary R&B and neo-soul genres.
While the name Faya is not as common as some other Arabic names, it has maintained a presence throughout history, carried by notable figures from various fields and cultures, reflecting its rich heritage and meaning.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Faya over time
The chart below shows babies named Faya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2016 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 Faya, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Faya by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Faya 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 | #5268 | 7 | 2 |
| 2010s | #4806 | 12 | 3 |
Geography
Where Faya is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Faya. 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.
Faya ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #418 in 2022.
Across the UK
Faya in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#418 in 2022
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Faya
- Freya 50,564
- Florence 32,908
- Francesca 18,752
- Faith 14,325
- Fatima 11,112
- Faye 8,999
- Felicity 8,554
- Frankie 6,977
- Ffion 6,115
- Flora 3,499
- Frances 3,417
- Fatimah 3,065
FAQ
Faya: questions and answers
How popular is the name Faya in the UK right now?
In 2024, Faya was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Faya most popular?
The peak year on record was 2017, with 5 babies registered as Faya in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Faya?
A feminine Arabic name meaning "refuge" or "shelter".
How many people are called Faya in the UK?
A total of 19 babies have been registered as Faya across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Faya most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Faya ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #418 in 2022. 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.