UK girl's name
Nahla
A feminine Arabic name meaning "palm tree" or "shoot of a plant".
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.
Nahla is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Nahla popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1894, with 15 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 51 births.
This profile covers 502 England and Wales registrations across 19 recorded years from 2001 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 29% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 506 living people in the UK are called Nahla. 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
- • Nahla ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 15 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2016, when 51 girls were registered as Nahla.
- • Nahla ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #816 in 2013.
- • About 506 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nahla as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1894
2024
Births in 2024
15
Latest year
Peak year
2016
51 births
Estimated living
506
2026
Meaning
What does Nahla mean?
The name Nahla is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "nahlah," which means "bee" or "honeybee" in Arabic. It is a feminine name that has been in use for centuries in the Arab world.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nahla can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when it was mentioned in several Arabic literary works and historical records. It is believed that the name was inspired by the significance of bees in Arabic culture, where they are seen as symbols of diligence, hard work, and sweetness.
In the 9th century CE, the name Nahla gained popularity among Arab scholars and poets. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Nahla al-Ansariya, a renowned poet and author who lived in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate. She was known for her poetic works and her contributions to Arabic literature.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nahla. In the 12th century, Nahla bint al-Faraj was a prominent physician and scholar in Aleppo, Syria. She was renowned for her expertise in medicine and her contributions to the field of pharmacology.
In the 20th century, Nahla Moukaddem was a famous Lebanese singer and actress who rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s. She was known for her powerful vocals and her performances in various Arabic musicals and films.
Another notable bearer of the name was Nahla Chahal, a Syrian-American engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded the successful technology company, Mogl. She was born in 1980 and has been recognized for her contributions to the technology industry.
Nahla Haidar, born in 1976, is a renowned Lebanese fashion designer and artist. Her fashion label, NAHLA, has gained international recognition for its unique blend of traditional Arabic elements with contemporary designs.
The name Nahla has been associated with grace, beauty, and sweetness, reflecting the symbolism of the bee in Arabic culture. It continues to be a popular choice for baby girls in the Arab world and among Arab communities around the globe.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nahla over time
The chart below shows babies named Nahla registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2001 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 Nahla, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 15 births in 2024, compared with 51 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nahla by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nahla 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 | #1398 | 134 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1113 | 336 | 10 |
| 2000s | #3118 | 32 | 4 |
Geography
Where Nahla is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Nahla. 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.
Nahla ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #816 in 2013.
Across the UK
Nahla in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#816 in 2013
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nahla
-
Nahla Mahmoud
spokesperson; writer; human rights defender
Sudanese-born British writer and activist
1987-
-
Nahla Zaki
actor
Egyptian Actress
1987-
Related
Names similar to Nahla
- Niamh 20,347
- Nicole 19,687
- Natasha 15,578
- Nancy 12,607
- Naomi 12,199
- Natalie 10,885
- Nevaeh 7,869
- Nina 7,285
- Neve 7,180
- Natalia 7,099
- Nadia 6,032
- Nicola 4,927
FAQ
Nahla: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nahla in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nahla was ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales, with 15 births registered.
When was Nahla most popular?
The peak year on record was 2016, with 51 babies registered as Nahla in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nahla?
A feminine Arabic name meaning "palm tree" or "shoot of a plant".
How many people are called Nahla in the UK?
A total of 502 babies have been registered as Nahla across the 19 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Nahla most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Nahla ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #816 in 2013. 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.