NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Suhaylah

A feminine Arabic name meaning "little gazelle" or "small bright star".

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.

Suhaylah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Suhaylah 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 2012, with 5 births.

This profile covers 28 England and Wales registrations across 8 recorded years from 1997 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 28 living people in the UK are called Suhaylah. 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

  • Suhaylah ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2012, when 5 girls were registered as Suhaylah.
  • About 28 living people in the UK are estimated to have Suhaylah 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

2012

5 births

Estimated living

28

2026

Meaning

What does Suhaylah mean?

The name Suhaylah originates from the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "suhayl," which means "the Pleiades" or "the bright star cluster." The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Suhaylah can be found in ancient Arabic poetry and literature. The name was often used as a poetic reference to the beauty and brilliance of the Pleiades star cluster, which held significant cultural and astronomical importance in the region.

In Islamic tradition, the name Suhaylah is associated with the story of the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. According to historical accounts, the Prophet and his companion, Abu Bakr, took refuge in a cave known as Ghar Thawr, where they were guided by the Pleiades star cluster, referred to as Suhaylah, to find their way to safety.

Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Suhaylah. One of the earliest recorded examples is Suhaylah bint al-Husayn (born around 650 CE), a renowned Arabian poet and scholar from the Umayyad dynasty. Another prominent figure was Suhaylah al-Malikah (born around 1070 CE), a princess and patron of the arts during the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt.

In the 12th century, Suhaylah bint al-Muhtadi (born around 1120 CE) was a influential female scholar and teacher in Baghdad, known for her expertise in various fields, including literature, poetry, and Islamic jurisprudence. Suhaylah al-Andalusiyah (born around 1180 CE) was a renowned Andalusian poet and writer from the Almohad dynasty in Spain.

More recently, Suhaylah al-Qurashiyah (born in 1911, died in 1997) was a prominent Syrian writer, poet, and activist who played a significant role in the Arab literary renaissance and women's rights movements in the 20th century.

While the name Suhaylah has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has also gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly among Arabic-speaking communities and those with ties to the Middle East and North Africa.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Suhaylah over time

The chart below shows babies named Suhaylah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 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 Suhaylah, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 5 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Suhaylah
01345199720102024

Decades

Suhaylah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Suhaylah 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 #5780 6 2
2010s #5073 15 4
2000s #3594 4 1
1990s #3824 3 1

Related

Names similar to Suhaylah

FAQ

Suhaylah: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Suhaylah was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Suhaylah most popular?

The peak year on record was 2012, with 5 babies registered as Suhaylah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Suhaylah?

A feminine Arabic name meaning "little gazelle" or "small bright star".

How many people are called Suhaylah in the UK?

A total of 28 babies have been registered as Suhaylah across the 8 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.