UK boy's name
Tareq
An Arabic masculine name meaning "one who knocks at the door".
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.
Tareq is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Tareq popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2015 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4747, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2002, with 6 births.
This profile covers 30 England and Wales registrations across 7 recorded years from 1997 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.
The latest count is about 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 30 living people in the UK are called Tareq. 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
- • Tareq ranked #4747 for boys in England and Wales in 2015, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2002, when 6 boys were registered as Tareq.
- • About 30 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tareq as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4747
2015
Births in 2015
3
Latest year
Peak year
2002
6 births
Estimated living
30
2026
Meaning
What does Tareq mean?
The name Tareq has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "tariq," which means "path" or "road." The name is thought to have emerged in the Middle East during the early Islamic period, around the 7th century CE.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Tareq can be found in the historical accounts of the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, which began in 711 CE. Tareq bin Ziyad was a famous Berber general who led the initial invasion of the Visigothic kingdom, achieving a decisive victory at the Battle of Guadalete. This event marked the beginning of Islamic rule in the region, which lasted for nearly eight centuries.
Throughout Islamic history, the name Tareq has been associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Tareq ibn Shihab (1005-1077 CE), a renowned Arab scholar and poet from Persia who made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy. Another prominent bearer of the name was Tareq ibn Ziyad al-Hadrami (1629-1690 CE), a Sufi scholar and writer from Yemen.
In more recent times, the name Tareq has been carried by several influential individuals, including Tareq Aziz (1936-2015), an Iraqi politician who served as Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Saddam Hussein's regime. Tareq Salhi (1962-2015) was a Moroccan-American writer and journalist known for his work on Middle Eastern affairs.
Another notable figure with the name Tareq is Tareq Ismail (1895-1935), an Egyptian actor and filmmaker who is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of Arab cinema. He starred in several influential silent films during the 1920s and 1930s, helping to establish the foundations of the Egyptian film industry.
It is worth noting that while the name Tareq has Arabic roots, it has also been adopted and used in various cultures and regions influenced by the spread of Islam, such as parts of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and certain regions of Asia.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Tareq over time
The chart below shows babies named Tareq registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 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 Tareq, the clearest high point is 2002. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2015, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tareq by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tareq 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 | #4747 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #2868 | 22 | 5 |
| 1990s | #2022 | 5 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Tareq
- 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
Tareq: questions and answers
How popular is the name Tareq in the UK right now?
In 2015, Tareq was ranked #4747 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Tareq most popular?
The peak year on record was 2002, with 6 babies registered as Tareq in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Tareq?
An Arabic masculine name meaning "one who knocks at the door".
How many people are called Tareq in the UK?
A total of 30 babies have been registered as Tareq 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.