UK girl's name
Jamila
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning beautiful or lovely.
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.
Jamila is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Jamila popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1230, with 27 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 35 births.
This profile covers 788 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 77% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 787 living people in the UK are called Jamila. 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
- • Jamila ranked #1230 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 27 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2004, when 35 girls were registered as Jamila.
- • Jamila ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #667 in 2003.
- • About 787 living people in the UK are estimated to have Jamila as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1230
2024
Births in 2024
27
Latest year
Peak year
2004
35 births
Estimated living
787
2026
Meaning
What does Jamila mean?
The name Jamila has its roots in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "jamil," meaning beautiful or lovely. It originated in Arab cultures and regions where Arabic was the primary language spoken.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Jamila can be traced back to medieval Arabic literature and poetry, where it was often used as a symbolic name to represent a beautiful woman or a love interest. The name gained widespread popularity across the Islamic world during this time.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Jamila was Jamila of Tunis, a 13th-century Hafsid princess from the Maghreb region of North Africa. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and patronage of the arts and literature.
In the 14th century, Jamila al-Hudhali was a renowned Arab poet from the Arabian Peninsula. Her poetic works, which explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, were widely celebrated and have been preserved in various anthologies.
During the Ottoman Empire era, Jamila Sultan was a prominent figure in the 16th century. She was the daughter of Sultan Selim I and played an influential role in the Ottoman court as a patron of the arts and a supporter of charitable endeavors.
In more recent history, Jamila Mukhtar Al-Alailima was an influential Iraqi feminist and activist born in 1918. She was a prominent figure in the women's rights movement in the Middle East and worked tirelessly to promote education and social reform.
Another notable figure named Jamila was Jamila Bouhired, an Algerian revolutionary born in 1935. She played a significant role in the Algerian War of Independence against French colonial rule and later became a prominent activist for women's rights and social justice causes.
The name Jamila has continued to be popular across various cultures and regions, particularly in the Arab world, North Africa, and parts of South Asia. It remains a beloved and celebrated name, carrying the essence of beauty, grace, and loveliness.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Jamila over time
The chart below shows babies named Jamila 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 Jamila, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 27 births in 2024, compared with 35 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamila by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Jamila 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 | #1250 | 133 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1377 | 244 | 10 |
| 2000s | #947 | 287 | 10 |
| 1990s | #740 | 124 | 4 |
Geography
Where Jamila is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Jamila. 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.
Jamila ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #667 in 2003.
Across the UK
Jamila in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#667 in 2003
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Jamila
-
Jamila Thompson
basketball player
English basketball player (born 1992)
1992-
-
Jamila Jemstone
singer; singer-songwriter; songwriter
British/Nigerian singer-songwriter and music consultant
1972-
Related
Names similar to Jamila
- Jessica 105,041
- Jasmine 35,227
- Jade 19,646
- Julia 11,780
- Jennifer 11,529
- Jodie 9,357
- Jemima 6,454
- Josephine 5,889
- Jessie 5,418
- Josie 5,284
- Jasmin 4,706
- Jenna 4,646
FAQ
Jamila: questions and answers
How popular is the name Jamila in the UK right now?
In 2024, Jamila was ranked #1230 for girls in England and Wales, with 27 births registered.
When was Jamila most popular?
The peak year on record was 2004, with 35 babies registered as Jamila in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Jamila?
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning beautiful or lovely.
How many people are called Jamila in the UK?
A total of 788 babies have been registered as Jamila across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Jamila most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Jamila ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #667 in 2003. 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.