NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Khalid

A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "eternal" or "immortal".

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.

Khalid is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Khalid popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #313, with 143 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 147 births.

This profile covers 2,688 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 97% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,742 living people in the UK are called Khalid. 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

  • Khalid ranked #313 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 143 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2023, when 147 boys were registered as Khalid.
  • Khalid ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
  • About 2,742 living people in the UK are estimated to have Khalid as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#313

2024

Births in 2024

143

Latest year

Peak year

2023

147 births

Estimated living

2,742

2026

Meaning

What does Khalid mean?

The name Khalid has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic root word "khalada" which means "to last forever" or "to be eternal". The name was widely used in the Arabian Peninsula during the early days of Islam.

One of the most famous historical figures with this name was Khalid ibn al-Walid, a celebrated military commander during the early Islamic conquests in the 7th century. He was known as the "Sword of Allah" for his military prowess and played a crucial role in the spread of Islam across the Middle East and parts of the Persian Empire.

The name Khalid also appears in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad. This association with Islamic history and tradition has contributed to the name's widespread popularity among Muslims around the world.

In ancient Arabic literature, the name Khalid is often associated with qualities such as strength, bravery, and endurance. This is reflected in various poems and stories from the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods, where characters with this name are portrayed as heroic figures.

Throughout history, there have been many notable individuals who bore the name Khalid. One of the earliest recorded examples is Khalid ibn Barmak, a prominent Persian vizier during the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century. Another notable figure is Khalid al-Nabulsi, a renowned Sufi scholar and poet who lived in the 17th century in Damascus.

Other famous individuals with the name Khalid include Khalid ibn Yazid, a rebel leader during the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century, and Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn Talal, a member of the Jordanian royal family and a successful businessman and diplomat in the 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Khalid over time

The chart below shows babies named Khalid 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 Khalid, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 143 births in 2024, compared with 147 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Khalid
03774110147199620102024

Decades

Khalid by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Khalid 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 #373 591 5
2010s #407 1,023 10
2000s #354 882 10
1990s #432 192 4

Geography

Where Khalid is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Khalid. 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.

Khalid ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Khalid in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#727 in 2024

20 years of NRS records, 71 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#404 in 2024

1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Khalid

  • Khalid Mohammed

    association football player

    British association football player (born 1998)

    1998-

  • Khalid Yafai

    boxer

    British boxer (1989-)

    1989-

  • Khalid Abdalla

    actor; film actor; stage actor; television actor

    British actor

    1980-

  • Khalid Masood

    terrorist; teacher; murderer

    British terrorist

    1964-2017

  • Khalid Mahmood

    politician

    British politician (born 1961)

    1961-

  • Khalid Aziz

    journalist

    British writer and television presenter

    1953-

  • Khalid Hameed, Baron Hameed

    politician

    businessperson (born 1941)

    1941-

  • Khalid Sheldrake

    king

    Pickle manufacturer, self-proclaimed King of Islamistan

    1888-1947

Related

Names similar to Khalid

FAQ

Khalid: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Khalid was ranked #313 for boys in England and Wales, with 143 births registered.

When was Khalid most popular?

The peak year on record was 2023, with 147 babies registered as Khalid in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Khalid?

A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "eternal" or "immortal".

How many people are called Khalid in the UK?

A total of 2,688 babies have been registered as Khalid across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 71 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Khalid most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Khalid ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #404 in 2024. 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.