UK girl's name
Nooriyah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "little light" or "brilliance".
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.
Nooriyah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Nooriyah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 5 births.
This profile covers 12 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2012 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 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 12 living people in the UK are called Nooriyah. 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
- • Nooriyah ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 5 girls were registered as Nooriyah.
- • About 12 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nooriyah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5891
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2021
5 births
Estimated living
12
2026
Meaning
What does Nooriyah mean?
Nooriyah is a feminine given name of Arabic origin. It is derived from the root word "nur" which means "light" or "radiance" in Arabic. The name is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the early Islamic era, around the 7th century AD.
The name Nooriyah is closely associated with the Arabic concept of divine light and enlightenment. It was often given to children with the hope that they would grow up to be a source of guidance and knowledge, just as light illuminates the path in darkness.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nooriyah can be found in the writings of renowned Islamic scholars and poets from the 9th and 10th centuries. It was a popular name among the intellectual and literary circles of that time, reflecting the high regard for knowledge and wisdom in the Islamic Golden Age.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nooriyah. One such figure was Nooriyah al-Isfahani, a renowned female scholar and poet who lived in the 10th century AD in present-day Iran. Her works were highly acclaimed and widely studied in the Islamic world.
Another prominent figure was Nooriyah bint Ahmad al-Qurashi, a 12th-century Islamic scholar and jurist from present-day Iraq. She was known for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the field of hadith studies.
In the 13th century, Nooriyah al-Maqdisiyah was a renowned mystic and Sufi poet from Jerusalem. Her poetic works, which often explored themes of divine love and spiritual enlightenment, were widely celebrated in the Islamic world.
During the Ottoman Empire, Nooriyah Sultan was a prominent figure in the 16th century. She was the daughter of Sultan Selim I and played an influential role in the cultural and intellectual life of the Ottoman court.
In more recent times, Nooriyah Huda was a renowned Bengali educationist and social reformer from the 19th century. She was a pioneer in promoting women's education and empowerment in British India.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Nooriyah throughout history, reflecting its enduring significance and association with knowledge, enlightenment, and spiritual wisdom across various cultures and eras.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nooriyah over time
The chart below shows babies named Nooriyah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2012 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 Nooriyah, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nooriyah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nooriyah 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 | #4926 | 8 | 2 |
| 2010s | #4838 | 4 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Nooriyah
- 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
Nooriyah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nooriyah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nooriyah was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Nooriyah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 5 babies registered as Nooriyah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nooriyah?
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "little light" or "brilliance".
How many people are called Nooriyah in the UK?
A total of 12 babies have been registered as Nooriyah across the 3 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.