UK boy's name
Liban
Of Arabic origin, meaning "frankincense" or "white mountain.".
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.
Liban is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Liban popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3523, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2000, with 15 births.
This profile covers 252 England and Wales registrations across 26 recorded years from 1996 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 33% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 250 living people in the UK are called Liban. 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
- • Liban ranked #3523 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2000, when 15 boys were registered as Liban.
- • About 250 living people in the UK are estimated to have Liban as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3523
2023
Births in 2023
5
Latest year
Peak year
2000
15 births
Estimated living
250
2026
Meaning
What does Liban mean?
The name Liban has its origins in the Semitic languages, specifically in the Aramaic and Arabic tongues spoken in the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Semitic root "lbn," which means "white" or "milk," a reference to the snowy peaks of the eponymous mountain range that forms the backbone of modern-day Lebanon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Liban can be found in the ancient Phoenician port city of Byblos, where it was used to refer to the mountains that loomed over the settlement. The name was later adopted by the Greeks, who rendered it as "Libanos," and the Romans, who called it "Libanus."
In the Bible, the name Liban appears several times, most notably in the Book of Psalms, where it is used as a metaphor for the majesty and grandeur of God's creation. The prophet Jeremiah also makes reference to the "cedars of Liban," a testament to the region's famed cedar forests that once cloaked its slopes.
Throughout history, the name Liban has been borne by a number of notable figures. One of the earliest was Liban of Byblos, a Phoenician scholar and priest who lived in the 6th century BCE and is credited with inventing the first alphabetic writing system.
In the Islamic world, Liban al-Ansari (d. 738 CE) was a prominent jurist and theologian who played a key role in the development of early Islamic law. Another Liban, known as Liban al-Gharib (d. 1109 CE), was a renowned poet and philosopher who lived in medieval Andalusia.
During the Crusades, the name Liban was adopted by several European nobles and knights who fought in the Holy Land. One such figure was Liban de Lacy (c. 1180-1240), an English baron who participated in the Fifth Crusade and later served as Lord of Meath in Ireland.
In more recent times, the name Liban has been borne by several notable figures in the Arab world, including Liban Shami (1910-1988), a Syrian poet and journalist who was a leading voice in the Arab nationalist movement, and Liban Baalbaki (1957-2022), a Lebanese politician and Member of Parliament.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Liban over time
The chart below shows babies named Liban registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Liban, the clearest high point is 2000. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2023, compared with 15 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Liban by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Liban 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 | #4040 | 12 | 3 |
| 2010s | #2705 | 71 | 9 |
| 2000s | #1433 | 128 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1268 | 41 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Liban
- Luke 72,247
- Lewis 69,555
- Leo 63,249
- Liam 60,482
- Lucas 49,061
- Logan 40,771
- Louis 35,898
- Luca 30,323
- Louie 24,242
- Leon 22,308
- Levi 9,931
- Lee 7,861
FAQ
Liban: questions and answers
How popular is the name Liban in the UK right now?
In 2023, Liban was ranked #3523 for boys in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Liban most popular?
The peak year on record was 2000, with 15 babies registered as Liban in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Liban?
Of Arabic origin, meaning "frankincense" or "white mountain.".
How many people are called Liban in the UK?
A total of 252 babies have been registered as Liban across the 26 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.