NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Naila

A feminine Arabic name meaning "one who achieves her aspirations".

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.

Naila is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Naila popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #647, with 60 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 60 births.

This profile covers 728 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 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.

Naila is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 734 living people in the UK are called Naila. 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

  • Naila ranked #647 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 60 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 60 girls were registered as Naila.
  • Naila ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #582 in 1987.
  • About 734 living people in the UK are estimated to have Naila as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#647

2024

Births in 2024

60

Latest year

Peak year

2024

60 births

Estimated living

734

2026

Meaning

What does Naila mean?

Naila is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to the Arabic language. The name is derived from the Arabic word "na'il," which means "to attain" or "to achieve." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a sense of accomplishment or success in its earliest usage.

The name Naila has been in use for centuries within Arabic-speaking regions, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. It is believed to have originated in the ancient Arabian Peninsula, where the Arabic language and culture first flourished.

In Islamic tradition, the name Naila is not mentioned directly in religious scriptures such as the Quran or Hadith. However, its linguistic roots in Arabic place it within the cultural and linguistic context of the Islamic world.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Naila can be found in historical records from the medieval period. Naila bint al-Furati was a renowned female poet and scholar who lived in Baghdad during the 10th century AD. She was known for her contributions to Arabic literature and her mastery of various poetic forms.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Naila. Naila Murad (born 1938) is a prominent Pakistani artist and sculptor, renowned for her contributions to the arts in Pakistan and beyond. Naila Kabeer (born 1950) is a Bangladeshi-born British social economist and researcher, known for her work on gender, poverty, and labor issues.

Naila Nour El-Deen (1926-2018) was an Egyptian actress and singer who achieved widespread fame in the Arab world during the mid-20th century. She was celebrated for her performances in numerous films and stage productions.

Naila Inayat Khan (1914-1944) was a British World War II heroine and Special Operations Executive agent who served as a wireless operator and courier for the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation of France. She was captured, tortured, and executed by the Gestapo, and posthumously awarded the George Cross for her bravery.

Naila Kazi (born 1939) is a Pakistani author and journalist, known for her contributions to literature and her advocacy for women's rights and social justice in Pakistan.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Naila throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields, from literature and arts to resistance movements and social activism.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Naila over time

The chart below shows babies named Naila 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 Naila, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 60 births in 2024, compared with 60 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Naila
015304560199620102024

Decades

Naila by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Naila 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 #750 249 5
2010s #1394 243 10
2000s #1461 171 10
1990s #1185 65 4

Geography

Where Naila is most common

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

Naila ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #582 in 1987.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Naila in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#582 in 1987

3 years of NRS records, 10 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Naila

  • Naila Kabeer

    economist; university teacher

    British economist

    1950-

  • Naila Boss

    singer

    British rapper

Related

Names similar to Naila

FAQ

Naila: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Naila was ranked #647 for girls in England and Wales, with 60 births registered.

When was Naila most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 60 babies registered as Naila in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Naila?

A feminine Arabic name meaning "one who achieves her aspirations".

How many people are called Naila in the UK?

A total of 728 babies have been registered as Naila across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 10 more in Scotland.

Where is Naila most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Naila ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #582 in 1987. 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.