UK boy's name
Taariq
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "morning star" or "path.".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2007. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Taariq is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Taariq popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2007 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4333, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 7 births.
This profile covers 28 England and Wales registrations across 7 recorded years from 1996 to 2007. 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 43% 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 Taariq. 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 2008 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Taariq ranked #4333 for boys in England and Wales in 2007, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 7 boys were registered as Taariq.
- • About 28 living people in the UK are estimated to have Taariq as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4333
2007
Births in 2007
3
Latest year
Peak year
1999
7 births
Estimated living
28
2026
Meaning
What does Taariq mean?
The given name Taariq has its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the Arabic word "tariq" which means "path" or "way". The name is believed to have emerged during the early centuries of Islam, around the 7th century AD, in the Arabian Peninsula.
The name Taariq holds a significant historical reference. In 711 AD, a Berber Muslim commander named Tariq ibn Ziyad led the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, crossing the Strait of Gibraltar from North Africa to Spain. His name, Tariq, became associated with this pivotal event in history, and the Rock of Gibraltar was named after him, known as "Jabal Tariq" or "Mount of Tariq".
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Taariq can be found in the biography of Tariq ibn Ziyad, the aforementioned commander who played a crucial role in the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Other notable historical figures with the name Taariq include:
1. Tariq ibn Shihab (c. 670-720 AD), an Arab military leader and governor of Egypt under the Umayyad Caliphate. 2. Tariq ibn Ziyad (c. 670-720 AD), the Berber Muslim commander who led the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD. 3. Tariq al-Bakri (c. 1010-1094 AD), an Arab geographer and scholar from Andalusia, known for his work "Al-Masalik wa'l-Mamalik" (Roads and Kingdoms). 4. Tariq ibn Abi Bakr (c. 1177-1246 AD), a Moroccan Sufi scholar and poet, known for his work "Qutb al-Madhhab al-Maliki" (The Pole of the Maliki School). 5. Tariq ibn Ziyad al-Saqlabi (c. 1201-1278 AD), an Arab historian and author of the book "Kitab al-Muqni fi 'Ilm al-Shurut" (The Sufficient Book on the Science of Conditions).
The name Taariq has been present throughout various regions of the Islamic world, including the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe, particularly in areas that were once under Islamic rule or influence, such as Spain and Portugal.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Taariq over time
The chart below shows babies named Taariq registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2007. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Taariq, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2007, compared with 7 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Taariq by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Taariq 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #3368 | 15 | 4 |
| 1990s | #2476 | 13 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Taariq
- Thomas 160,894
- Tyler 42,147
- Theo 40,594
- Toby 32,482
- Theodore 30,211
- Tommy 25,300
- Teddy 20,781
- Taylor 14,354
- Tobias 13,102
- Tom 9,822
- Tristan 9,171
- Timothy 6,200
FAQ
Taariq: questions and answers
How popular is the name Taariq in the UK right now?
In 2007, Taariq was ranked #4333 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Taariq most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 7 babies registered as Taariq in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Taariq?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "morning star" or "path.".
How many people are called Taariq in the UK?
A total of 28 babies have been registered as Taariq across the 7 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.