UK boy's name
Suleyman
Of Arabic origin meaning "man of peace" or "man of integrity".
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.
Suleyman is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Suleyman popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1460, with 18 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 24 births.
This profile covers 322 England and Wales registrations across 28 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.
The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 320 living people in the UK are called Suleyman. 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
- • Suleyman ranked #1460 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 18 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 24 boys were registered as Suleyman.
- • About 320 living people in the UK are estimated to have Suleyman as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1460
2024
Births in 2024
18
Latest year
Peak year
2021
24 births
Estimated living
320
2026
Meaning
What does Suleyman mean?
The name Suleyman has its origins in the Arabic language and is a variant of the name Sulaiman, which is derived from the Semitic root words "s-l-m" meaning "peace" or "wholeness". It is the Arabic form of the name Solomon, which has biblical roots.
The name Suleyman gained widespread recognition and popularity due to its association with the famous Sultan Suleyman I, also known as Suleyman the Magnificent, who ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566. He was a powerful and influential ruler who expanded the empire's territories and presided over a golden age of cultural and architectural achievements.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Suleyman can be found in the Quran, where it is mentioned as the name of the Prophet Solomon, revered in Islamic tradition for his wisdom, wealth, and ability to communicate with animals and control jinns. The Quran contains various stories and references to Suleyman, highlighting his significance in Islamic scripture.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Suleyman. One of the earliest was Suleyman ibn Abd al-Malik, an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 715 to 717 CE. Another prominent figure was Suleyman I, the tenth Ottoman Sultan, who reigned from 1520 to 1566 and is considered one of the greatest rulers in Ottoman history.
Other notable individuals with the name include Suleyman Pasha, a renowned Ottoman grand vizier and military leader from the 16th century, and Suleyman the Lawgiver, an Anatolian ruler from the 13th century who established the first written legal code in the region.
In addition, Suleyman Hilmi Tunahan, a Turkish revolutionary and military officer who played a significant role in the Young Turk movement in the early 20th century, and Suleyman Demirel, a prominent Turkish politician and the 9th President of Turkey from 1964 to 1993, also bore this name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Suleyman over time
The chart below shows babies named Suleyman 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 Suleyman, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 18 births in 2024, compared with 24 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Suleyman by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Suleyman 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 | #1383 | 95 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1842 | 125 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2101 | 85 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2031 | 17 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Suleyman
- 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
Suleyman: questions and answers
How popular is the name Suleyman in the UK right now?
In 2024, Suleyman was ranked #1460 for boys in England and Wales, with 18 births registered.
When was Suleyman most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 24 babies registered as Suleyman in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Suleyman?
Of Arabic origin meaning "man of peace" or "man of integrity".
How many people are called Suleyman in the UK?
A total of 322 babies have been registered as Suleyman across the 28 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.