UK girl's name
Sula
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "preciousness" or "gemstone".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2020. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Sula is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Sula popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2020 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5493, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 5 births.
This profile covers 18 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 2000 to 2020. 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 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 33 living people in the UK are called Sula. 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 2021 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Sula ranked #5493 for girls in England and Wales in 2020, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 5 girls were registered as Sula.
- • Sula ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #792 in 2021.
- • About 33 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sula as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5493
2020
Births in 2020
3
Latest year
Peak year
2018
5 births
Estimated living
33
2026
Meaning
What does Sula mean?
The name Sula has its origins in the Turkic and Persian languages, tracing back to the 8th century AD. It is derived from the word "suli," which means "water" or "stream." This name was commonly used among various Turkic and Persian ethnic groups that inhabited regions of Central Asia and the Middle East during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sula can be found in the epic poem "Shahnameh" by the renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi, written in the late 10th century AD. The poem mentions a character named Sula, who was a warrior and companion of the legendary Persian hero Rostam.
In the 12th century, a famous Persian mathematician and astronomer named Sula al-Din Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, also known as Al-Khwarizmi, gained prominence. He is credited with contributing significantly to the development of algebra and introducing the Arabic numerals to the Western world.
During the 13th century, Sula Bey, a Seljuk Turk ruler, was a prominent figure in the region of Anatolia, which is now part of modern-day Turkey. He is known for his architectural contributions, including the construction of several caravanserais (roadside inns) and mosques.
Another notable figure with the name Sula was Sula Battashi, a 17th-century Ottoman poet and calligrapher from present-day Albania. He was renowned for his mastery of the Turkish language and his contributions to Ottoman literature.
In more recent history, Sula Vinogradova, a Russian poet and writer born in 1892, gained recognition for her literary works, particularly her poetry collections and novels that explored themes of love and human relationships.
It is important to note that while the name Sula has its roots in the Turkic and Persian cultures, it has also been adopted and used in various other regions and cultures over time, potentially with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Sula over time
The chart below shows babies named Sula registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 to 2020. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Sula, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2020, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sula by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sula 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 | #5493 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4374 | 9 | 2 |
| 2000s | #4025 | 6 | 2 |
Geography
Where Sula is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Sula. 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.
Sula ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #792 in 2021.
Across the UK
Sula in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#792 in 2021
5 years of NRS records, 15 total registered
Related
Names similar to Sula
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Sula: questions and answers
How popular is the name Sula in the UK right now?
In 2020, Sula was ranked #5493 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Sula most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 5 babies registered as Sula in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Sula?
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "preciousness" or "gemstone".
How many people are called Sula in the UK?
A total of 18 babies have been registered as Sula across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 15 more in Scotland.
Where is Sula most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Sula ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #792 in 2021. 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.