UK girl's name
Neha
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "cloud" or "mist".
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.
Neha is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Neha popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2574, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 89 births.
This profile covers 1,225 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.
The latest count is about 11% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,241 living people in the UK are called Neha. 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
- • Neha ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2007, when 89 girls were registered as Neha.
- • Neha ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #653 in 2015.
- • About 1,241 living people in the UK are estimated to have Neha as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2574
2024
Births in 2024
10
Latest year
Peak year
2007
89 births
Estimated living
1,241
2026
Meaning
What does Neha mean?
The name Neha is derived from the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is believed to have originated around the 5th century BCE. The name Neha is a combination of two Sanskrit words, "neh" meaning love or affection, and "a" meaning without end or eternal. Therefore, the name Neha can be interpreted as "eternal love" or "undying affection."
In Hindu mythology, the name Neha is associated with the goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. Parvati is revered as the embodiment of love, devotion, and fertility. The name Neha is also mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Upanishads, which are philosophical texts that explore the nature of the universe and the human soul.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neha is in the 7th century CE, when a princess named Neha was married to a Rajput king in the region of present-day Rajasthan, India. Throughout history, the name Neha has been borne by several notable figures, including Neha Kakkar, an Indian singer and judge on the reality show Indian Idol, born in 1988.
Another famous Neha is Neha Dhupia, an Indian actress, model, and former beauty queen who won the Femina Miss India Universe title in 2002. Neha Dhupia was born in 1980 and has appeared in numerous Bollywood films and television shows.
In the field of literature, Neha Dureja is a contemporary Indian author and poet, known for her works exploring themes of love, relationships, and self-discovery. She was born in 1989 and has published several poetry collections and novels.
Neha Bhasin is an Indian singer and songwriter who gained popularity as a contestant on the reality show MTV Roadies in 2005. She was born in 1984 and has released several hit songs in various Indian languages.
Neha Tripathi is an Indian social activist and entrepreneur who founded an organization called "Dharavi Diary," which aims to empower women and children living in the Dharavi slum area of Mumbai. She was born in 1988 and has received numerous awards for her philanthropic efforts.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Neha over time
The chart below shows babies named Neha 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 Neha, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 89 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Neha by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Neha 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 | #2297 | 57 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1299 | 314 | 10 |
| 2000s | #501 | 700 | 10 |
| 1990s | #688 | 154 | 4 |
Geography
Where Neha is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Neha. 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.
Neha ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #653 in 2015.
Across the UK
Neha in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#653 in 2015
7 years of NRS records, 23 total registered
Related
Names similar to Neha
- 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
Neha: questions and answers
How popular is the name Neha in the UK right now?
In 2024, Neha was ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.
When was Neha most popular?
The peak year on record was 2007, with 89 babies registered as Neha in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Neha?
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "cloud" or "mist".
How many people are called Neha in the UK?
A total of 1,225 babies have been registered as Neha across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 23 more in Scotland.
Where is Neha most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Neha ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #653 in 2015. 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.