UK boy's name
Younus
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "Jonah" or "dove".
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.
Younus is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Younus popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1460, with 18 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 25 births.
This profile covers 239 England and Wales registrations across 23 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. 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 72% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 238 living people in the UK are called Younus. 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
- • Younus ranked #1460 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 18 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2022, when 25 boys were registered as Younus.
- • About 238 living people in the UK are estimated to have Younus as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1460
2024
Births in 2024
18
Latest year
Peak year
2022
25 births
Estimated living
238
2026
Meaning
What does Younus mean?
The name Younus has its origins in the Arabic language, and it is derived from the name Yunus, which in turn comes from the biblical name Jonah. The name Jonah is derived from the Hebrew word "yonah," meaning "dove."
The name Younus is found in various religious texts, including the Quran and the Bible. In the Quran, Yunus (the Arabic form of the name) is the name of a prophet who was swallowed by a whale or a fish. This story is also found in the Book of Jonah in the Hebrew Bible, where the prophet is called Jonah.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Younus is in the Quran, which was written in the 7th century CE. The Quran refers to the prophet Yunus, who is believed to have lived around the 8th century BCE.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Younus or its variations. One of the most famous was Younus Emre, a 13th-century Turkish poet and Sufi mystic. He wrote many poems and influential works that contributed to the spread of Sufism in Anatolia.
Another prominent figure was Younus Khan, a 16th-century ruler of the Mughal Empire in India. He was the second son of the famous Mughal emperor Akbar and ruled from 1585 to 1605.
In the realm of science, Younus Khali, an Iraqi physicist, made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics in the 20th century. He was born in 1936 and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 for his work on the unified theory of weak and electromagnetic interactions.
Younus Afroze was a renowned Bangladeshi writer and journalist who lived from 1939 to 2018. He was known for his contributions to Bengali literature and his work in promoting the Bangladeshi language and culture.
Lastly, Younus Al-Rantisi was a prominent Palestinian politician and co-founder of the Hamas movement. He was born in 1949 and played a significant role in the Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation until his assassination in 2004.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Younus, which has its roots in ancient religious texts and has been carried on through various cultures and regions.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Younus over time
The chart below shows babies named Younus 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 Younus, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 18 births in 2024, compared with 25 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Younus by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Younus 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 | #1575 | 84 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2124 | 109 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2389 | 37 | 5 |
| 1990s | #2874 | 9 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Younus
- Yusuf 11,801
- Yahya 5,758
- Yunus 2,009
- Yaseen 1,799
- Yasin 1,797
- Yuvraj 1,605
- Yaqub 1,517
- Yousef 1,489
- Yousuf 1,454
- Yasir 1,056
- Yash 876
- Youssef 749
FAQ
Younus: questions and answers
How popular is the name Younus in the UK right now?
In 2024, Younus was ranked #1460 for boys in England and Wales, with 18 births registered.
When was Younus most popular?
The peak year on record was 2022, with 25 babies registered as Younus in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Younus?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "Jonah" or "dove".
How many people are called Younus in the UK?
A total of 239 babies have been registered as Younus across the 23 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.