UK girl's name
Hanifah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "true believer" or "follower of the true faith".
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.
Hanifah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Hanifah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3318, with 7 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2003, with 19 births.
This profile covers 247 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 37% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 246 living people in the UK are called Hanifah. 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
- • Hanifah ranked #3318 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 7 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2003, when 19 girls were registered as Hanifah.
- • About 246 living people in the UK are estimated to have Hanifah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3318
2024
Births in 2024
7
Latest year
Peak year
2003
19 births
Estimated living
246
2026
Meaning
What does Hanifah mean?
The name Hanifah is an Arabic feminine name that originated in the Middle East. It is derived from the Arabic word "hanif," which means "one who follows the straight path" or "one who is inclined towards the true faith." The name is closely associated with the Islamic faith and has been in use since the early days of Islam.
The name Hanifah is mentioned in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, where it is used to describe the Prophet Abraham as a "hanif," meaning he was a monotheist and followed the true religion of worshiping one God. This association with the Prophet Abraham has given the name a deep spiritual significance in Islamic culture.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Hanifah was in the 7th century CE, when it was given to Hanifah bint Al-Ahnaf, a woman from the Banu Tamim tribe in Arabia. She was known for her intelligence and wisdom, and her name became a symbol of virtue and piety.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Hanifah. One of the most famous was Hanifah ibn Al-Mughirah, a 7th-century Islamic scholar and jurist from Kufa, Iraq. He was one of the most prominent figures in the early development of Islamic jurisprudence and is considered the founder of the Hanafi school of Islamic law.
Another prominent figure with the name Hanifah was Hanifah Al-Malikah, an 11th-century queen of the Berber Zirid dynasty in North Africa. She ruled from 1062 to 1088 CE and was known for her patronage of the arts and sciences, as well as her military prowess in defending her kingdom against invaders.
In the 12th century, Hanifah Al-Muqri was a renowned scholar of the Quran and Arabic grammar. She was born in Cordoba, Spain, and her teachings and writings on the Quran were highly influential in the Islamic world.
In the 19th century, Hanifah Al-Khalidiyah was a Sufi mystic and poet from Syria. She was known for her devotional poetry and her teachings on the spiritual path of Sufism, which gained her a large following in the region.
The name Hanifah has remained popular among Muslim communities worldwide, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where it is seen as a symbol of faith, devotion, and adherence to the true path of Islam.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Hanifah over time
The chart below shows babies named Hanifah 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 Hanifah, the clearest high point is 2003. The latest England and Wales figure is 7 births in 2024, compared with 19 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hanifah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Hanifah 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 | #3501 | 35 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3295 | 71 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2025 | 111 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2120 | 30 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Hanifah
- Hannah 67,635
- Holly 52,307
- Harriet 24,781
- Hollie 17,902
- Harper 15,784
- Heidi 12,675
- Hallie 9,873
- Hope 9,414
- Hayley 5,968
- Hazel 5,954
- Hanna 5,735
- Heather 5,497
FAQ
Hanifah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Hanifah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Hanifah was ranked #3318 for girls in England and Wales, with 7 births registered.
When was Hanifah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2003, with 19 babies registered as Hanifah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Hanifah?
A feminine Arabic name meaning "true believer" or "follower of the true faith".
How many people are called Hanifah in the UK?
A total of 247 babies have been registered as Hanifah across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.