UK boy's name
Kaif
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "bliss" or "rapture".
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.
Kaif is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kaif popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1859, with 13 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 24 births.
This profile covers 320 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1997 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 54% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 321 living people in the UK are called Kaif. 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
- • Kaif ranked #1859 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 13 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2004, when 24 boys were registered as Kaif.
- • Kaif ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #626 in 2009.
- • About 321 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kaif as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1859
2024
Births in 2024
13
Latest year
Peak year
2004
24 births
Estimated living
321
2026
Meaning
What does Kaif mean?
The name Kaif originates from the Arabic language and has its roots in the word "kaif" which means "pleasure" or "enjoyment." It is believed to have been first used as a given name in the Middle East and North Africa regions during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaif can be found in the works of the famous Persian poet and philosopher, Rumi (1207-1273). In his poetic masterpiece, the Masnavi, Rumi makes reference to a character named Kaif, suggesting that the name was in use during that time.
During the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century, the name Kaif gained popularity among the intellectual and artistic circles of the time. It was often associated with the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and the appreciation of beauty, which were highly valued in the Islamic civilization.
One of the notable historical figures who bore the name Kaif was Kaif al-Din al-Amidi (1156-1233), a renowned Islamic philosopher and logician from present-day Iran. His contributions to the field of logic and his critiques of Aristotelian philosophy had a significant impact on the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another prominent individual named Kaif was Kaif al-Din al-Hafiz (1325-1389), a celebrated Persian poet and calligrapher. His poetic works, known as ghazals, are considered among the finest examples of Persian literature and have been widely admired for their lyrical beauty and profound insights.
In the Ottoman Empire, the name Kaif was also present, as evidenced by the existence of Kaif Bey (1460-1509), an Ottoman statesman and military leader who served as the governor of Damascus and later became the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Bayezid II.
Throughout the centuries, the name Kaif has maintained a presence in various regions influenced by Islamic culture, albeit in varying degrees of popularity. Its connection to the idea of pleasure, enjoyment, and the pursuit of knowledge and beauty has endured, making it a name with rich historical and cultural significance.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kaif over time
The chart below shows babies named Kaif registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 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 Kaif, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 13 births in 2024, compared with 24 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaif by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kaif 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 | #2124 | 54 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2030 | 108 | 9 |
| 2000s | #1486 | 143 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2092 | 15 | 3 |
Geography
Where Kaif is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kaif. 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.
Kaif ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #626 in 2009.
Across the UK
Kaif in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#626 in 2009
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Kaif
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Kaif: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kaif in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kaif was ranked #1859 for boys in England and Wales, with 13 births registered.
When was Kaif most popular?
The peak year on record was 2004, with 24 babies registered as Kaif in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kaif?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "bliss" or "rapture".
How many people are called Kaif in the UK?
A total of 320 babies have been registered as Kaif across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Kaif most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kaif ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #626 in 2009. 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.