UK girl's name
Kharis
A feminine Persian name meaning "sun rays" or "sunshine".
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.
Kharis is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kharis popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3218, with 7 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 13 births.
This profile covers 81 England and Wales registrations across 16 recorded years from 1998 to 2023. 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 90 living people in the UK are called Kharis. 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
- • Kharis ranked #3218 for girls in England and Wales in 2023, with 7 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1998, when 13 girls were registered as Kharis.
- • Kharis ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #650 in 2008.
- • About 90 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kharis as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3218
2023
Births in 2023
7
Latest year
Peak year
1998
13 births
Estimated living
90
2026
Meaning
What does Kharis mean?
The name Kharis has its origins in ancient Egypt, dating back to the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom period, which spanned from approximately 1550 to 1292 BC. It is derived from the ancient Egyptian word "ḫꜣry," which means "to be pleased" or "to be satisfied."
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Kharis was the name of a minor goddess who personified the concepts of favor, grace, and beauty. She was often depicted as a young woman with a lotus flower on her head, symbolizing her association with renewal and fertility.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kharis can be found in hieroglyphic inscriptions and papyrus documents from ancient Egypt. One notable example is the mention of a woman named Kharis in the Wilbour Papyrus, which dates back to around 1150 BC and contains accounts of legal disputes and transactions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kharis. One of the earliest was Kharis of Lindos, a renowned sculptor from the island of Rhodes who lived in the 6th century BC. His most famous work was the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Another noteworthy figure was Kharis of Mytilene, a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 5th century BC. He is credited with developing the method of exhaustion, a technique used to calculate the area of a circle and other geometric figures.
In the 3rd century AD, Kharis of Apamea was a renowned Roman physician and medical writer. He authored several influential works on anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology, contributing significantly to the advancement of medical knowledge in the ancient world.
During the Byzantine era, Kharis of Amida was a prominent philosopher and theologian who lived in the 6th century AD. He played a crucial role in the development of Christian thought and was known for his commentaries on the works of Aristotle and other ancient philosophers.
In the 20th century, Kharis Rallis was a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 1946 to 1947. He played a significant role in the country's transition to democracy after the end of World War II.
While the name Kharis has ancient roots in Egypt and has been used throughout history, it has also maintained a presence in various cultures and regions over time, reflecting its enduring appeal and the diverse influences that have shaped its meaning and significance.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kharis over time
The chart below shows babies named Kharis registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 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 Kharis, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 7 births in 2023, compared with 13 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kharis by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kharis 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 | #3333 | 13 | 2 |
| 2010s | #4686 | 29 | 6 |
| 2000s | #4091 | 26 | 7 |
| 1990s | #1392 | 13 | 1 |
Geography
Where Kharis is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kharis. 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.
Kharis ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #650 in 2008.
Across the UK
Kharis in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#650 in 2008
3 years of NRS records, 10 total registered
Related
Names similar to Kharis
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Kharis: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kharis in the UK right now?
In 2023, Kharis was ranked #3218 for girls in England and Wales, with 7 births registered.
When was Kharis most popular?
The peak year on record was 1998, with 13 babies registered as Kharis in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kharis?
A feminine Persian name meaning "sun rays" or "sunshine".
How many people are called Kharis in the UK?
A total of 81 babies have been registered as Kharis across the 16 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 10 more in Scotland.
Where is Kharis most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kharis ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #650 in 2008. 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.