NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Ruqayya

A feminine Arabic name meaning "one who quenches thirst".

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.

Ruqayya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ruqayya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #811, with 46 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 46 births.

This profile covers 509 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 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.

Ruqayya is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 507 living people in the UK are called Ruqayya. 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

  • Ruqayya ranked #811 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 46 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 46 girls were registered as Ruqayya.
  • About 507 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ruqayya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#811

2024

Births in 2024

46

Latest year

Peak year

2024

46 births

Estimated living

507

2026

Meaning

What does Ruqayya mean?

The name Ruqayya is an Arabic feminine given name derived from the root word "raqa" which means "to ascend" or "to rise." It is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula during the early days of Islam.

Ruqayya was the name of one of the daughters of the Prophet Muhammad and his first wife Khadijah. She was born around 604 CE in Mecca and died in 624 CE in Medina. Ruqayya's birth was a significant event in the early Islamic community, and her name holds great importance in the Islamic tradition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ruqayya can be found in the Sirah, the biographical literature about the life of Prophet Muhammad. The name is also mentioned in the Hadith, the collection of sayings and actions attributed to the Prophet.

Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Ruqayya. One such figure was Ruqayya bint Ali, the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima, who lived in the 7th century CE. She was known for her piety and devotion to Islam.

Another influential figure was Ruqayya Bint Mus'ab, a 9th-century Arab poet and scholar from Medina. She was renowned for her knowledge of Arabic literature and her contributions to the field of poetry.

In the 12th century, Ruqayya Begum was a prominent figure in the Mughal Empire of India. She was the daughter of Emperor Akbar and played a significant role in the political and cultural affairs of the empire.

Ruqayya Khatun was a 16th-century Persian princess and poet who was renowned for her literary works and her patronage of the arts. She lived during the Safavid dynasty and was known for her influential poetry.

Another notable figure was Ruqayya Al-Mouzafariya, a 13th-century Syrian scholar and Sufi mystic. She was respected for her knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the study of Sufism.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ruqayya over time

The chart below shows babies named Ruqayya 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 Ruqayya, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 46 births in 2024, compared with 46 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Ruqayya
012233546199620102024

Decades

Ruqayya by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ruqayya 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 #1214 147 5
2010s #1467 222 10
2000s #1947 117 10
1990s #2869 23 4

Related

Names similar to Ruqayya

FAQ

Ruqayya: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Ruqayya was ranked #811 for girls in England and Wales, with 46 births registered.

When was Ruqayya most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 46 babies registered as Ruqayya in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ruqayya?

A feminine Arabic name meaning "one who quenches thirst".

How many people are called Ruqayya in the UK?

A total of 509 babies have been registered as Ruqayya across the 29 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.