UK boy's name
Hussain
A masculine Arabic name meaning "of fine or beautiful nature".
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.
Hussain is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Hussain popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #398, with 102 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 126 births.
This profile covers 2,452 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 81% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,500 living people in the UK are called Hussain. 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
- • Hussain ranked #398 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 102 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2017, when 126 boys were registered as Hussain.
- • Hussain ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2024.
- • About 2,500 living people in the UK are estimated to have Hussain as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#398
2024
Births in 2024
102
Latest year
Peak year
2017
126 births
Estimated living
2,500
2026
Meaning
What does Hussain mean?
The name Hussain finds its origins in the Arabic language and the Islamic faith. It is derived from the Arabic word "Husn," which means beauty, fortification, or strength. The name is closely associated with Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most revered figures in Islam.
Hussain ibn Ali was born in 626 CE in Medina, present-day Saudi Arabia. He was the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of Islam, and Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Hussain played a significant role in the early history of Islam and is remembered for his courage, devotion, and martyrdom.
The tragedy of Karbala, which occurred in 680 CE, is a pivotal event in Islamic history and is closely linked to the name Hussain. On the plains of Karbala, in present-day Iraq, Hussain and his small band of followers stood against the larger army of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I. Despite being outnumbered, Hussain refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid, whom he considered an unjust ruler. Hussain and his companions were brutally massacred, and his martyrdom became a symbol of resistance against oppression and injustice in the Islamic world.
Throughout history, the name Hussain has been carried by numerous prominent figures, including Hussain ibn Ali himself, who is revered by both Sunni and Shia Muslims. Other notable individuals with the name include:
1. Hussain al-Hallaj (858-922 CE), a famous Sufi mystic and poet from Iran, known for his proclamation of unity with God, which led to his execution. 2. Hussain ibn Ali al-Tusi (995-1067 CE), a renowned Iranian philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of optics. 3. Hussain Shah (1539-1599 CE), the second Sultan of the Bengal Sultanate, who ruled from 1494 to 1519 CE and is known for his patronage of art and architecture. 4. Hussain Dost Muhammad (1900-1949), an Afghan politician and military commander who played a crucial role in the Afghan struggle for independence from British rule. 5. Hussain Muhiddin Al-Kashifi (1440-1505 CE), a Persian poet and writer best known for his work Anwar-i Suhayli, a renowned collection of fables and moral stories.
The name Hussain continues to be widely used in various cultures and regions, particularly in the Middle East, South Asia, and among Muslim communities worldwide. Its rich history and association with the revered figure of Hussain ibn Ali make it a name of great significance in the Islamic tradition.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Hussain over time
The chart below shows babies named Hussain 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 Hussain, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 102 births in 2024, compared with 126 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hussain by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Hussain 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 | #396 | 524 | 5 |
| 2010s | #393 | 1,075 | 10 |
| 2000s | #431 | 676 | 10 |
| 1990s | #462 | 177 | 4 |
Geography
Where Hussain is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Hussain. 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.
Hussain ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2024.
Across the UK
Hussain in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#432 in 2024
16 years of NRS records, 65 total registered
Related
Names similar to Hussain
- Harry 141,693
- Henry 65,177
- Harrison 45,958
- Harvey 35,648
- Harley 22,095
- Hugo 18,779
- Hayden 12,622
- Hunter 10,350
- Hudson 9,104
- Hamza 8,564
- Hassan 5,982
- Hasan 3,599
FAQ
Hussain: questions and answers
How popular is the name Hussain in the UK right now?
In 2024, Hussain was ranked #398 for boys in England and Wales, with 102 births registered.
When was Hussain most popular?
The peak year on record was 2017, with 126 babies registered as Hussain in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Hussain?
A masculine Arabic name meaning "of fine or beautiful nature".
How many people are called Hussain in the UK?
A total of 2,452 babies have been registered as Hussain across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 65 more in Scotland.
Where is Hussain most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Hussain ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #432 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.