UK boy's name
Shahbaz
A masculine name of Persian origin, meaning "royal falcon".
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.
Shahbaz is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Shahbaz popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 13 births.
This profile covers 103 England and Wales registrations across 18 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 23% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 105 living people in the UK are called Shahbaz. 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
- • Shahbaz ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 13 boys were registered as Shahbaz.
- • Shahbaz ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #314 in 1983.
- • About 105 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shahbaz as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5119
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
13 births
Estimated living
105
2026
Meaning
What does Shahbaz mean?
The given name Shahbaz derives its origins from the Persian language. It is a compound word formed by combining the elements 'shah' meaning king or ruler, and 'baz' meaning falcon or hawk. The name can be traced back to the medieval era in regions that constituted the Persian cultural sphere, which stretched across parts of Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shahbaz can be found in the Shahnameh, the epic poem composed by the renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The name appears as a title bestowed upon a character renowned for their prowess and valor, reflecting the symbolic association of the falcon with strength, courage, and nobility.
Historically, the name Shahbaz has been borne by several notable figures across various eras and regions. One such individual was Shahbaz Khan, a prominent military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century. His exploits and bravery in battles against rival forces earned him recognition and the honorific title of Shahbaz.
Another bearer of this name was Shahbaz Bhatti, a Pakistani politician and human rights activist who campaigned tirelessly for the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. Tragically, he was assassinated in 2011 for his efforts, but his legacy as a champion of equality and justice endures.
In the realm of literature, the name Shahbaz is associated with the renowned Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, who lived in the 19th century. One of his most celebrated works, the Ghazal "Shahbaz-e-Parwaz," pays homage to the majestic falcon and its symbolic representation of freedom and transcendence.
The name Shahbaz has also gained prominence in the world of sports, with notable figures such as Shahbaz Ahmed, a talented Pakistani cricketer who has represented his country at the international level, and Shahbaz Sharif, a former cricketer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2017 to 2022.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Shahbaz throughout history, each contributing to its legacy and reinforcing its associations with strength, nobility, and the pursuit of excellence.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shahbaz over time
The chart below shows babies named Shahbaz 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 Shahbaz, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 13 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shahbaz by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shahbaz 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 | #5119 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #3610 | 18 | 4 |
| 2000s | #2605 | 51 | 9 |
| 1990s | #1771 | 31 | 4 |
Geography
Where Shahbaz is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Shahbaz. 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.
Shahbaz ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #314 in 1983.
Across the UK
Shahbaz in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#314 in 1983
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Shahbaz
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
FAQ
Shahbaz: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shahbaz in the UK right now?
In 2024, Shahbaz was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shahbaz most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 13 babies registered as Shahbaz in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shahbaz?
A masculine name of Persian origin, meaning "royal falcon".
How many people are called Shahbaz in the UK?
A total of 103 babies have been registered as Shahbaz across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Shahbaz most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Shahbaz ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #314 in 1983. 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.