NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Nawaf

A masculine Arabic name meaning "generous" or "exalted".

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.

Nawaf is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Nawaf popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3254, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 8 births.

This profile covers 70 England and Wales registrations across 16 recorded years from 2006 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 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 70 living people in the UK are called Nawaf. 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

  • Nawaf ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2022, when 8 boys were registered as Nawaf.
  • About 70 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nawaf as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3254

2024

Births in 2024

6

Latest year

Peak year

2022

8 births

Estimated living

70

2026

Meaning

What does Nawaf mean?

The name Nawaf originates from the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic root word "N-W-F," which means "to be generous" or "to give freely." The name is believed to have emerged in the Arabian Peninsula during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries CE.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Nawaf can be found in Arabic literature and poetry from the Umayyad and Abbasid eras. It was used as a masculine given name, often associated with generosity, nobility, and hospitality, which were highly valued traits in Arab societies.

In Islamic history, there are mentions of individuals named Nawaf, although their significance may vary. One notable figure was Nawaf ibn Fudayl, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who participated in the Battle of Hunayn in 630 CE.

Throughout the centuries, the name Nawaf has been borne by various influential figures in the Arab world. One such individual was Nawaf Al-Hazmi (1287-1349 CE), a renowned Arab poet and scholar from the Mamluk period in Egypt and Syria.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Nawaf Al-Buraik (1690-1756 CE), a respected Islamic scholar and jurist from the Arabian Peninsula, known for his contributions to Islamic jurisprudence.

In more recent times, Nawaf Al-Sabah (1933-2008 CE) was a member of the Kuwaiti royal family and served as the Crown Prince of Kuwait from the 1960s until his death.

Nawaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1933-2012 CE) was a senior member of the Saudi royal family and served as the Governor of Riyadh for over 50 years, from 1953 to 2011.

Another notable figure was Nawaf Salam (1936-2022 CE), a prominent Lebanese diplomat and jurist who served as the Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) from 1976 to 1988.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Nawaf over time

The chart below shows babies named Nawaf registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 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 Nawaf, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 8 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Nawaf
02468200620152024

Decades

Nawaf by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nawaf 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 #3882 24 5
2010s #3780 36 8
2000s #4082 10 3

Related

Names similar to Nawaf

FAQ

Nawaf: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Nawaf was ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.

When was Nawaf most popular?

The peak year on record was 2022, with 8 babies registered as Nawaf in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Nawaf?

A masculine Arabic name meaning "generous" or "exalted".

How many people are called Nawaf in the UK?

A total of 70 babies have been registered as Nawaf across the 16 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.