UK boy's name
Jorah
A Quranic name meaning "heavy rainstorm" or "flow of water".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Jorah is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Jorah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4107, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 11 births.
This profile covers 27 England and Wales registrations across 4 recorded years from 2019 to 2023. 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 36% 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 Jorah. 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 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Jorah ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2020, when 11 boys were registered as Jorah.
- • About 27 living people in the UK are estimated to have Jorah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4107
2023
Births in 2023
4
Latest year
Peak year
2020
11 births
Estimated living
27
2026
Meaning
What does Jorah mean?
The name Jorah is believed to have its origins in the Hebrew language, derived from the word "yarah," meaning "to throw" or "to shoot." This suggests that the name may have initially held connotations related to archery or warfare.
In ancient Hebrew texts, Jorah is mentioned as a minor figure in the Book of Chronicles, where it is recorded as the name of a gatekeeper at the temple in Jerusalem during the reign of King David. This reference dates back to around 1000 BCE, providing one of the earliest known examples of the name's usage.
As the name spread across the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Jorai, Jorai, and Jurai, reflecting the linguistic influences of different cultures and languages.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Jorah was Jorah ben Eleazar, a renowned Jewish scholar who lived in Tiberias, Palestine, during the 3rd century CE. He was a prominent figure in the development of the Jerusalem Talmud, a foundational text of Rabbinic Judaism.
In the medieval period, the name Jorah gained popularity among the Islamic world, particularly in Persia (modern-day Iran) and Central Asia. During this time, Jorah al-Qazwini, a Persian historian and geographer, made significant contributions to the fields of geography and travel literature in the 13th century.
Centuries later, in the 16th century, Jorah ibn Murad was a notable Ottoman statesman and military commander who served as the governor of several provinces within the Ottoman Empire, including Damascus and Aleppo.
Moving forward in history, Jorah Malik Khan was a prominent Afghan leader and military strategist who played a crucial role in the Afghan resistance against the British Empire during the Second Anglo-Afghan War in the late 19th century.
Another notable figure bearing the name Jorah was Jorah Ghanimah, an Iraqi poet and scholar who lived in the 20th century. He was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and his advocacy for cultural preservation and education in Iraq.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Jorah over time
The chart below shows babies named Jorah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2019 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Jorah, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2023, compared with 11 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jorah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Jorah 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 | #2781 | 24 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4702 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Jorah
- Jack 188,738
- Joshua 145,192
- James 141,878
- Joseph 102,259
- Jacob 93,754
- Jake 66,896
- Jamie 41,243
- Jordan 36,750
- Jayden 28,921
- Jude 24,156
- John 22,240
- Joe 19,164
FAQ
Jorah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Jorah in the UK right now?
In 2023, Jorah was ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Jorah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2020, with 11 babies registered as Jorah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Jorah?
A Quranic name meaning "heavy rainstorm" or "flow of water".
How many people are called Jorah in the UK?
A total of 27 babies have been registered as Jorah across the 4 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.