NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Ilah

Of Arabic origin, meaning "supreme being" or "God".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2020. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Ilah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ilah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2020 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5493, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 6 births.

This profile covers 27 England and Wales registrations across 7 recorded years from 2012 to 2020. 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 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 27 living people in the UK are called Ilah. 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 2021 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Ilah ranked #5493 for girls in England and Wales in 2020, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2014, when 6 girls were registered as Ilah.
  • About 27 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ilah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5493

2020

Births in 2020

3

Latest year

Peak year

2014

6 births

Estimated living

27

2026

Meaning

What does Ilah mean?

The name Ilah is of Arabic origin and is derived from the word "Ilah," which means "God" or "deity" in Arabic. This name has its roots in the ancient Semitic languages and can be traced back to pre-Islamic times.

In the context of Islam, the word "Ilah" is used to refer to the one true God, Allah. The Quran frequently mentions the word "Ilah" in this context. However, the name Ilah itself is not directly mentioned in the Quran or other Islamic scriptures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ilah can be found in ancient Arabic poetry and literature. For example, the famous pre-Islamic Arab poet Imru' al-Qais (c. 501-570 CE) used the word "Ilah" in his poems, although not necessarily as a personal name.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ilah. For instance, Ilah al-Amiri (c. 970-1023 CE) was a famous Arab poet and literary figure from present-day Iraq during the Abbasid Caliphate era.

Another notable bearer of the name was Ilah ibn Ahmad al-Hiri (c. 1004-1089 CE), a renowned Arab mathematician and astronomer from present-day Iraq. He made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and wrote several influential works on mathematics and astronomy.

In more recent times, Ilah Naqiyah (1857-1920) was an Indonesian princess and national heroine who played a crucial role in the struggle against Dutch colonialism in Java.

Ilah Tan (1910-2008) was a Chinese-Indonesian writer and journalist who was known for her literary works and contributions to the Indonesian literary scene in the 20th century.

Ilah Sadoqi (1938-2021) was a prominent Afghan writer, poet, and scholar who made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Afghan culture and literature.

These examples illustrate that the name Ilah has been used across various cultures and time periods, with individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in fields such as literature, mathematics, astronomy, and national liberation movements.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ilah over time

The chart below shows babies named Ilah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2012 to 2020. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Ilah, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2020, compared with 6 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Ilah
02356201220162020

Decades

Ilah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ilah 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 #5493 3 1
2010s #4928 24 6

Related

Names similar to Ilah

FAQ

Ilah: questions and answers

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

In 2020, Ilah was ranked #5493 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Ilah most popular?

The peak year on record was 2014, with 6 babies registered as Ilah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ilah?

Of Arabic origin, meaning "supreme being" or "God".

How many people are called Ilah in the UK?

A total of 27 babies have been registered as Ilah across the 7 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.