NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Saad

A name of Arabic origin meaning fortunate or felicitous.

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.

Saad is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Saad popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #785, with 43 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 56 births.

This profile covers 1,162 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 77% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,169 living people in the UK are called Saad. 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

  • Saad ranked #785 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 43 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2019, when 56 boys were registered as Saad.
  • Saad ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #595 in 2018.
  • About 1,169 living people in the UK are estimated to have Saad as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#785

2024

Births in 2024

43

Latest year

Peak year

2019

56 births

Estimated living

1,169

2026

Meaning

What does Saad mean?

The name Saad has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "sa'ada" which means happiness, good fortune, or felicity. The name has been in use for centuries and can be traced back to the pre-Islamic era in the Arabian Peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Saad can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Saad ibn Abi Waqqas was a prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the early converts to Islam. He played a significant role in the battles and conquests of the early Islamic era and is regarded as one of the ten companions promised Paradise.

Another notable figure in Islamic history with the name Saad was Saad ibn Muadh, a chief of the Aws tribe in Medina during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. He was known for his wisdom, courage, and unwavering support for the Prophet and the fledgling Muslim community.

In the pre-Islamic era, Saad was also a common name among the Arab tribes. One of the most famous pre-Islamic Arabic poets, Saad ibn Malik, was known for his eloquence and mastery of the Arabic language. His poems and prose have been preserved and continue to be studied and appreciated by scholars and literary enthusiasts.

The name Saad has also been borne by notable figures throughout history, including Saad al-Din al-Shafi'i, the founder of the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence in the 8th century. Another prominent individual with this name was Saad al-Din al-Qunawi, a 13th-century Sufi mystic and philosopher who made significant contributions to the development of Islamic mysticism.

In more recent times, Saad Zaghloul was a prominent Egyptian revolutionary and statesman who played a crucial role in the Egyptian nationalist movement against British rule in the early 20th century. He was a leading figure in the 1919 Revolution and served as the first Prime Minister of Egypt after the country gained independence.

Overall, the name Saad has a rich and diverse history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the Arabic language and culture. It has been borne by influential figures across various fields, including religion, literature, philosophy, and politics, making it a name with a strong cultural and historical significance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Saad over time

The chart below shows babies named Saad 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 Saad, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 43 births in 2024, compared with 56 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Saad
014284256199620102024

Decades

Saad by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Saad 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 #789 216 5
2010s #798 464 10
2000s #679 407 10
1990s #867 75 4

Geography

Where Saad is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Saad. 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.

Saad ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #595 in 2018.

Scotland
4

Across the UK

Saad in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#595 in 2018

4 years of NRS records, 15 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Saad

  • Saad Mohseni

    entrepreneur; banker; financier

    Afghan businessman

    1966-

Related

Names similar to Saad

FAQ

Saad: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Saad was ranked #785 for boys in England and Wales, with 43 births registered.

When was Saad most popular?

The peak year on record was 2019, with 56 babies registered as Saad in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Saad?

A name of Arabic origin meaning fortunate or felicitous.

How many people are called Saad in the UK?

A total of 1,162 babies have been registered as Saad across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 15 more in Scotland.

Where is Saad most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Saad ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #595 in 2018. 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.