UK girl's name
Sumayyah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "elevated" or "sublime".
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.
Sumayyah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Sumayyah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #497, with 79 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 96 births.
This profile covers 2,152 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 82% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,146 living people in the UK are called Sumayyah. 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
- • Sumayyah ranked #497 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 79 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 96 girls were registered as Sumayyah.
- • Sumayyah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #566 in 2015.
- • About 2,146 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sumayyah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#497
2024
Births in 2024
79
Latest year
Peak year
2015
96 births
Estimated living
2,146
2026
Meaning
What does Sumayyah mean?
The name Sumayyah has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "sumyah," which means "highly praised" or "elevated." It is a name with deep roots in Islamic tradition and history.
The earliest known bearer of the name Sumayyah was Sumayyah bint Khabbat, a woman who lived in Mecca during the 7th century CE. She is revered as one of the first martyrs of Islam, as she was tortured and killed for her faith by the pagan Quraysh tribe. Her unwavering belief and sacrifice have made her an important figure in Islamic history.
Another prominent historical figure bearing the name Sumayyah was Sumayyah bint Husayn al-Taghlibi, a renowned poet who lived during the Umayyad Caliphate in the 7th and 8th centuries CE. Her poetry was highly acclaimed, and she was known for her eloquence and wit.
In the 12th century, Sumayyah bint Ahmad al-Muhadhdhib al-Mawsiliyyah was a famous calligrapher and scholar from Mosul, Iraq. Her calligraphic works were highly regarded, and she is considered one of the most accomplished female calligraphers in Islamic history.
Sumayyah bint al-Abbas al-Mahdawiyyah, who lived in the 13th century, was a prominent Sufi mystic and scholar from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. She was highly respected for her spiritual teachings and her contributions to the field of Islamic mysticism.
Sumayyah al-Yamaniyyah was a 16th-century poet and scholar from Yemen. She was renowned for her expertise in various fields, including Arabic literature, poetry, and Islamic jurisprudence.
Throughout history, the name Sumayyah has been borne by numerous other notable figures, including scholars, poets, and mystics, reflecting its deep-rooted significance within the Islamic tradition and Arabic culture.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Sumayyah over time
The chart below shows babies named Sumayyah 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 Sumayyah, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 79 births in 2024, compared with 96 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sumayyah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sumayyah 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 | #524 | 377 | 5 |
| 2010s | #518 | 816 | 10 |
| 2000s | #444 | 816 | 10 |
| 1990s | #722 | 143 | 4 |
Geography
Where Sumayyah is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Sumayyah. 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.
Sumayyah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #566 in 2015.
Across the UK
Sumayyah in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#566 in 2015
1 years of NRS records, 5 total registered
Related
Names similar to Sumayyah
- 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
Sumayyah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Sumayyah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Sumayyah was ranked #497 for girls in England and Wales, with 79 births registered.
When was Sumayyah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 96 babies registered as Sumayyah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Sumayyah?
A feminine Arabic name meaning "elevated" or "sublime".
How many people are called Sumayyah in the UK?
A total of 2,152 babies have been registered as Sumayyah across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 5 more in Scotland.
Where is Sumayyah most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Sumayyah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #566 in 2015. 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.