UK girl's name
Talah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "rising, shining, or ascending light".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2015. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Talah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Talah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2015 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4736, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 4 births.
This profile covers 10 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2009 to 2015. 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.
Talah is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 10 living people in the UK are called Talah. 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 2016 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Talah ranked #4736 for girls in England and Wales in 2015, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 4 girls were registered as Talah.
- • About 10 living people in the UK are estimated to have Talah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4736
2015
Births in 2015
4
Latest year
Peak year
2015
4 births
Estimated living
10
2026
Meaning
What does Talah mean?
The given name Talah has its origins in Arabic culture and language. It is derived from the Arabic word "tala'a" which means "to rise" or "to appear." The name is believed to have emerged during the early Islamic period, around the 7th century AD, when the Arabic language and culture spread across the Middle East and North Africa.
In Islamic tradition, the name Talah is often associated with positive connotations of emerging or shining. It has been used as a name for both males and females, although more commonly for males. The name's simplicity and meaningful etymology have contributed to its enduring popularity across various Arabic-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Talah can be found in the medieval Islamic texts of the 9th century. Abu Talah al-Qaisi, a renowned Arab poet and scholar from modern-day Iraq, was born in 825 AD and is considered one of the most prominent figures associated with this name during that era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Talah. Talah ibn Khuzaymah (born circa 692 AD) was a revered companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a respected narrator of hadith (prophetic traditions) in early Islamic history. Another prominent figure was Talah ibn Ubaydullah (died 656 AD), a close companion of the Prophet and a participant in the early Muslim conquests.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 AD, the name Talah was also associated with several influential figures. Talah ibn Tahir al-Naysaburi (born 822 AD) was a renowned Islamic scholar and hadith compiler, while Talah ibn Ahmad al-Nahwi (born 844 AD) was a prominent grammarian and linguist.
In more recent times, Talah has continued to be a name bestowed upon individuals across the Arab world. Talah Arslan (1912-1998) was a prominent Lebanese politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1963 to 1964. Talah Naji (born 1945) is an Iraqi novelist and writer known for his works exploring social and political themes.
While the name Talah has its roots in Arabic culture, it has also been adopted and adapted in various forms across other cultures and languages, further adding to its rich history and diversity of usage over the centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Talah over time
The chart below shows babies named Talah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2009 to 2015. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Talah, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2015, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Talah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Talah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5222 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | #5556 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Talah
- Tia 15,569
- Thea 12,888
- Tilly 11,524
- Taylor 7,401
- Tegan 6,583
- Tabitha 6,462
- Talia 5,198
- Tara 5,114
- Tiffany 4,653
- Tallulah 4,442
- Tiana 3,570
- Tamara 3,405
FAQ
Talah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Talah in the UK right now?
In 2015, Talah was ranked #4736 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Talah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 4 babies registered as Talah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Talah?
A feminine Arabic name meaning "rising, shining, or ascending light".
How many people are called Talah in the UK?
A total of 10 babies have been registered as Talah across the 3 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.