UK boy's name
Hussein
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "handsome" or "good".
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.
Hussein is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Hussein popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #898, with 35 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 48 births.
This profile covers 823 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 73% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 820 living people in the UK are called Hussein. 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
- • Hussein ranked #898 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 35 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 48 boys were registered as Hussein.
- • Hussein ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #317 in 1986.
- • About 820 living people in the UK are estimated to have Hussein as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#898
2024
Births in 2024
35
Latest year
Peak year
2015
48 births
Estimated living
820
2026
Meaning
What does Hussein mean?
The name Hussein has Arabic origins, tracing back to the 7th century AD in the Middle East. It is derived from the Arabic word "husayn," meaning "good," "handsome," or "beautiful one." The name Hussein is closely associated with Islamic history and culture.
Hussein was the name of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad. Hussein was born in 626 AD in Medina, and his name is mentioned in the Quran and other Islamic texts. He played a significant role in the early history of Islam and is revered by Shia Muslims as the third Imam.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Hussein can be found in the Nahj al-Balagha, a collection of sermons, letters, and sayings attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib, which includes references to his son Hussein. The name also appears in various Islamic historical accounts and biographies of the Prophet Muhammad and his family.
Throughout history, the name Hussein has been borne by numerous notable figures, including:
1. Hussein ibn Ali (626-680 AD), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was martyred in the Battle of Karbala, a significant event in Shia Islam. 2. Hussein Bayqara (1469-1506), a renowned ruler of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, known for his support of arts and literature. 3. Hussein Kamel (1853-1917), an Egyptian prince and Ottoman politician who served as the Sultan of Egypt from 1914 to 1917. 4. Hussein bin Talal (1935-1999), the former King of Jordan who reigned from 1952 to 1999 and played a significant role in the Arab-Israeli conflict. 5. Hussein Shaheed Suhrawardy (1892-1963), a Bengali politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 to 1957.
The name Hussein has been widely used across the Arab world, particularly in countries with significant Muslim populations, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. It continues to be a popular name among Arabic-speaking communities around the world, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural and historical significance.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Hussein over time
The chart below shows babies named Hussein 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 Hussein, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 35 births in 2024, compared with 48 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hussein by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Hussein 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 | #1025 | 145 | 5 |
| 2010s | #952 | 321 | 10 |
| 2000s | #818 | 282 | 10 |
| 1990s | #828 | 75 | 4 |
Geography
Where Hussein is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Hussein. 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.
Hussein ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #317 in 1986.
Across the UK
Hussein in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#317 in 1986
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Hussein
-
Hussein Ali al-Shaalan
politician
Iraqi politician
1949-2018
Related
Names similar to Hussein
- 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
Hussein: questions and answers
How popular is the name Hussein in the UK right now?
In 2024, Hussein was ranked #898 for boys in England and Wales, with 35 births registered.
When was Hussein most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 48 babies registered as Hussein in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Hussein?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "handsome" or "good".
How many people are called Hussein in the UK?
A total of 823 babies have been registered as Hussein across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Hussein most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Hussein ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #317 in 1986. 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.