NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Veda

A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "knowledge, sacred writings".

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.

Veda is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Veda popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1128, with 30 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 30 births.

This profile covers 162 England and Wales registrations across 17 recorded years from 2004 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.

Veda is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 167 living people in the UK are called Veda. 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

  • Veda ranked #1128 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 30 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 30 girls were registered as Veda.
  • Veda ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #790 in 2024.
  • About 167 living people in the UK are estimated to have Veda as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1128

2024

Births in 2024

30

Latest year

Peak year

2024

30 births

Estimated living

167

2026

Meaning

What does Veda mean?

The name Veda is derived from the Sanskrit word "veda," which means "knowledge" or "wisdom." The Vedas are ancient Hindu sacred texts that form the foundations of Hinduism and are considered the oldest scriptures in the world, dating back to around 1500-500 BCE.

The Vedas were originally composed in Vedic Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that predates Classical Sanskrit. The name Veda is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent during the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.

The Vedas are a collection of hymns, prayers, and philosophical teachings that were passed down orally for generations before being written down. They are divided into four main texts: the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda, and the Atharva Veda.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Veda can be found in the Rig Veda, which is considered the oldest of the four Vedas. One of the most famous figures associated with the name Veda is Veda Vyasa, a legendary Hindu sage who is believed to have compiled and arranged the Vedas, as well as authoring the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Veda. Veda Semese (born 1987) is a Samoan rugby union player who has represented Samoa at the international level. Veda Hille (born 1968) is an Australian singer-songwriter and composer known for her eclectic musical style.

In ancient India, the name Veda was also associated with the concept of knowledge and learning. Scholars and students of the Vedas were known as "Vedic," and the Vedic period is considered a significant era in the development of Indian philosophy, religion, and culture.

Another prominent figure with the name Veda is Veda Vyasa Ranade (1843-1898), an Indian social reformer, judge, and scholar who played a vital role in the Indian independence movement. He was also a prominent figure in the Prarthana Samaj, a religious reform movement that aimed to promote rational and progressive values within Hinduism.

Overall, the name Veda has a rich historical and cultural significance, with its origins deeply rooted in the ancient Hindu scriptures and the Vedic period of Indian history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Veda over time

The chart below shows babies named Veda registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2004 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 Veda, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 30 births in 2024, compared with 30 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Veda
08152330200420142024

Decades

Veda by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Veda 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 #2125 76 5
2010s #2851 70 8
2000s #4405 16 4

Geography

Where Veda is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Veda. 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.

Veda ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #790 in 2024.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Veda in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#790 in 2024

2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered

Related

Names similar to Veda

FAQ

Veda: questions and answers

How popular is the name Veda in the UK right now?

In 2024, Veda was ranked #1128 for girls in England and Wales, with 30 births registered.

When was Veda most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 30 babies registered as Veda in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Veda?

A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "knowledge, sacred writings".

How many people are called Veda in the UK?

A total of 162 babies have been registered as Veda across the 17 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.

Where is Veda most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Veda ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #790 in 2024. 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.