UK girl's name
Rabia
An Arabic feminine name meaning "spring" or "early spring rain".
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.
Rabia is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Rabia popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1743, with 17 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 47 births.
This profile covers 806 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 36% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 860 living people in the UK are called Rabia. 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
- • Rabia ranked #1743 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 17 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2004, when 47 girls were registered as Rabia.
- • Rabia ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #798 in 2016.
- • About 860 living people in the UK are estimated to have Rabia as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1743
2024
Births in 2024
17
Latest year
Peak year
2004
47 births
Estimated living
860
2026
Meaning
What does Rabia mean?
The name Rabia is of Arabic origin, deriving from the Semitic root r-b-' which means "spring" or "early spring." It is a feminine name that has been in use since ancient times in the Middle East and North Africa.
Rabia is believed to have been the name of one of the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, a woman named Rabia al-Quzdari who lived in the 7th century CE. She is said to have been among the early converts to Islam and was known for her piety and devotion.
One of the earliest and most famous individuals to bear the name Rabia was Rabia al-Adawiyya, a renowned Sufi mystic and saint who lived in Basra, Iraq, in the 8th century CE (around 717-801 CE). She is revered for her teachings on the importance of love and devotion to God, and her spiritual insights have had a lasting impact on the Sufi tradition.
Another notable figure named Rabia was Rabia Basri, a famous female Islamic scholar and mystic who lived in the 8th century CE (around 713-801 CE). She was known for her profound knowledge of Islamic theology and her influential teachings on spirituality and the path to nearness to God.
In the 11th century CE, there was a prominent female poet named Rabia Bint Kamal al-Din, who was born in Baghdad and lived from 1031 to 1093 CE. She was renowned for her eloquent poetry and is considered one of the greatest female poets of the medieval Islamic world.
Rabia Khatun was a powerful and influential Queen of the Delhi Sultanate in India, who ruled from 1236 to 1240 CE. She played a significant role in the consolidation of the Sultanate and is remembered for her leadership and patronage of art and architecture.
While these are some of the most notable historical figures to bear the name Rabia, it has been a popular name across the Arab world and among Muslim communities for centuries, and many other individuals have carried this name throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Rabia over time
The chart below shows babies named Rabia 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 Rabia, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 17 births in 2024, compared with 47 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rabia by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Rabia 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 | #1744 | 83 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1478 | 237 | 10 |
| 2000s | #859 | 329 | 10 |
| 1990s | #631 | 157 | 4 |
Geography
Where Rabia is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Rabia. 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.
Rabia ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #798 in 2016.
Across the UK
Rabia in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#798 in 2016
16 years of NRS records, 59 total registered
Related
Names similar to Rabia
- Ruby 60,551
- Rebecca 45,764
- Rosie 35,558
- Rachel 19,034
- Rose 18,043
- Robyn 14,556
- Rosa 6,236
- Rhiannon 6,180
- Rachael 4,702
- Rebekah 4,395
- Rhianna 4,177
- Ruth 4,118
FAQ
Rabia: questions and answers
How popular is the name Rabia in the UK right now?
In 2024, Rabia was ranked #1743 for girls in England and Wales, with 17 births registered.
When was Rabia most popular?
The peak year on record was 2004, with 47 babies registered as Rabia in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Rabia?
An Arabic feminine name meaning "spring" or "early spring rain".
How many people are called Rabia in the UK?
A total of 806 babies have been registered as Rabia across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 59 more in Scotland.
Where is Rabia most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Rabia ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #798 in 2016. 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.