UK girl's name
Nala
A feminine Sanskrit name meaning "stem" or "stalk".
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.
Nala is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Nala 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 2021, with 102 births.
This profile covers 769 England and Wales registrations across 18 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.
The latest count is about 59% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 780 living people in the UK are called Nala. 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
- • Nala ranked #647 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 60 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 102 girls were registered as Nala.
- • Nala ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #749 in 2023.
- • About 780 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nala 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
2021
102 births
Estimated living
780
2026
Meaning
What does Nala mean?
The name Nala has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language of South Asia. It can be traced back to the Hindu scriptures and texts, particularly the epic Mahabharata, where it was the name of a character associated with the Nala kingdom.
In the Mahabharata, Nala was the name of a King who was known for his skills in chariot racing and his virtuous nature. His story is intertwined with that of Damayanti, his wife, and their trials and tribulations form an integral part of the epic.
The name Nala is derived from the Sanskrit word "nala," which means a reed or a hollow stalk. It is believed that the name was initially used to describe someone who was slender and graceful, like a reed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nala can be found in the ancient Indian text, the Nalopakhyana, which dates back to around the 4th century BCE. This text is a love story that narrates the life of King Nala and his wife Damayanti.
Throughout history, the name Nala has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Nala Damayanti, a 7th-century Indian saint and mystic who was revered for her spiritual teachings and her devotion to Lord Shiva.
Another historical figure with the name Nala was Nala-Raja, a 16th-century Indian ruler who reigned over the Nayaka kingdom of Madurai in present-day Tamil Nadu. He was known for his patronage of the arts and literature.
In the realm of literature, Nala was the name of a character in the 19th-century Bengali novel "Nala-Damayanti" by the renowned author Michael Madhusudan Dutt. This work was based on the ancient Sanskrit epic and helped to popularize the name in modern times.
Additionally, Nala was the name of a character in the novel "The Story of an African Farm" by the South African writer Olive Schreiner, published in 1883. The character was a young African boy, reflecting the use of the name in different cultural contexts.
Throughout history, the name Nala has been associated with grace, strength, and virtue, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and the enduring influence of the ancient Sanskrit texts and epics.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nala over time
The chart below shows babies named Nala 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 Nala, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 60 births in 2024, compared with 102 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nala by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nala 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 | #481 | 443 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1487 | 309 | 9 |
| 2000s | #3676 | 14 | 3 |
| 1990s | #3795 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Nala is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Nala. 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.
Nala ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #749 in 2023.
Across the UK
Nala in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#749 in 2023
4 years of NRS records, 14 total registered
Related
Names similar to Nala
- 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
Nala: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nala in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nala was ranked #647 for girls in England and Wales, with 60 births registered.
When was Nala most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 102 babies registered as Nala in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nala?
A feminine Sanskrit name meaning "stem" or "stalk".
How many people are called Nala in the UK?
A total of 769 babies have been registered as Nala across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 14 more in Scotland.
Where is Nala most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Nala ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #749 in 2023. 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.