NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Nafeesa

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "precious" or "valuable".

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.

Nafeesa is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Nafeesa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4192, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 38 births.

This profile covers 431 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. 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 13% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 428 living people in the UK are called Nafeesa. 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

  • Nafeesa ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 38 girls were registered as Nafeesa.
  • About 428 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nafeesa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4192

2024

Births in 2024

5

Latest year

Peak year

1996

38 births

Estimated living

428

2026

Meaning

What does Nafeesa mean?

Nafeesa is a feminine name of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "nafis" which means "precious" or "valuable." The name first appeared in the Arabic culture and language during the medieval period, around the 7th to 10th centuries AD.

The name Nafeesa has been recorded in various Arabic texts and literature from that time, including religious scriptures and historical accounts. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Nafeesa bint Al-Hassan, a prominent female scholar and teacher who lived in the 8th century AD in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Nafeesa. In the 12th century, Nafeesa al-Bayda was a renowned poet and literary figure in Andalusia, Spain. During the 16th century, Nafeesa Begum was a prominent figure in the Mughal Empire, serving as a wife of Emperor Humayun.

Another notable Nafeesa was Nafeesa Ali Mirza, born in 1818, who was a prominent poet and writer in the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad in India. Nafeesa Bint Abdullah, born in 1864, was a pioneering female educator and advocate for women's rights in the Middle East.

In more recent times, Nafeesa Mohammed, born in 1939, was a renowned Bangladeshi writer and activist who fought for women's empowerment and social justice. She was awarded the Ekushey Padak, one of the highest civilian honors in Bangladesh.

The name Nafeesa has been popular across various Arabic-speaking regions, including the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of the Mediterranean. It continues to be used today, carrying the connotation of preciousness and value, reflecting the cultural and linguistic heritage of its Arabic roots.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Nafeesa over time

The chart below shows babies named Nafeesa 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 Nafeesa, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 38 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Nafeesa
010192938199620102024

Decades

Nafeesa by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nafeesa 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 #3839 22 4
2010s #2634 113 10
2000s #1398 173 10
1990s #778 123 4

Related

Names similar to Nafeesa

FAQ

Nafeesa: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Nafeesa was ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.

When was Nafeesa most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 38 babies registered as Nafeesa in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Nafeesa?

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "precious" or "valuable".

How many people are called Nafeesa in the UK?

A total of 431 babies have been registered as Nafeesa across the 28 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.