UK boy's name
Yousaf
An Arabic masculine name meaning "the increaser" or "he will increase".
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.
Yousaf is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Yousaf popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1322, with 20 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 33 births.
This profile covers 591 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 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.
The latest count is about 61% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 611 living people in the UK are called Yousaf. 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
- • Yousaf ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 20 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 33 boys were registered as Yousaf.
- • Yousaf ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
- • About 611 living people in the UK are estimated to have Yousaf as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1322
2024
Births in 2024
20
Latest year
Peak year
2018
33 births
Estimated living
611
2026
Meaning
What does Yousaf mean?
Yousaf is a masculine given name derived from the Arabic name Yusuf, which itself is the Arabic form of the Hebrew name Joseph. The name traces its origins back to ancient Semitic languages, with the Hebrew root "yasaf" meaning "to add" or "to increase."
The name Yusuf appears in the Quran as the name of the prophet Joseph, son of Jacob. The story of Joseph is recounted in detail in the 12th chapter of the Quran, describing his trials, tribulations, and eventual rise to a position of power in Egypt. This account has made the name Yusuf and its variants popular among Muslims around the world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yousaf can be found in the writings of the 13th-century Persian poet Jalaluddin Rumi, who mentions a Sufi saint named Yousaf al-Hamadani in his poetic works. This suggests that the variant spelling Yousaf was already in use by that time in parts of the Muslim world.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Yousaf. One of the most famous was Yousaf Khan Hotaki (1672-1738), an Afghan military leader who briefly ruled Persia from 1722 to 1725 after overthrowing the Safavid dynasty. His reign, though short-lived, marked a significant period in the history of the region.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Yousaf Raza Gillani (born 1952), a Pakistani politician who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012. His tenure was marked by various political challenges and ultimately ended with his disqualification by the Supreme Court.
In literature, Yousaf Idris (1927-1991) was an influential Egyptian writer and playwright. His works explored social and political themes, and he is considered one of the pioneers of the modern Arabic short story genre.
The name Yousaf has also been borne by several religious figures, including Yousaf al-Nabhani (1849-1932), a prominent Islamic scholar and the founder of the Nabhani movement in Syria and Lebanon.
Lastly, Yousaf Salah Uddin (born 1935) is a renowned Indian poet and writer who has made significant contributions to Urdu literature. His works have explored themes of love, spirituality, and social commentary, earning him numerous honors and awards.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Yousaf over time
The chart below shows babies named Yousaf 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 Yousaf, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 20 births in 2024, compared with 33 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yousaf by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Yousaf 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 | #1356 | 97 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1064 | 265 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1127 | 187 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1322 | 42 | 4 |
Geography
Where Yousaf is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Yousaf. 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.
Yousaf ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
Across the UK
Yousaf in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
6 years of NRS records, 24 total registered
Related
Names similar to Yousaf
- 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
Yousaf: questions and answers
How popular is the name Yousaf in the UK right now?
In 2024, Yousaf was ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales, with 20 births registered.
When was Yousaf most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 33 babies registered as Yousaf in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Yousaf?
An Arabic masculine name meaning "the increaser" or "he will increase".
How many people are called Yousaf in the UK?
A total of 591 babies have been registered as Yousaf across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 24 more in Scotland.
Where is Yousaf most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Yousaf ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #727 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.