UK girl's name
Zainab
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "one who adorns" or "fragrant flower".
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.
Zainab is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Zainab popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #138, with 360 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 444 births.
This profile covers 9,407 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 81% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 9,741 living people in the UK are called Zainab. 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
- • Zainab ranked #138 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 360 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 444 girls were registered as Zainab.
- • Zainab ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #275 in 2024.
- • About 9,741 living people in the UK are estimated to have Zainab as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#138
2024
Births in 2024
360
Latest year
Peak year
2010
444 births
Estimated living
9,741
2026
Meaning
What does Zainab mean?
The name Zainab has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic root word "zayn," which means "adornment" or "beauty." The name is believed to have been in use since the early days of Islam, around the 7th century CE.
One of the most significant historical references to the name Zainab can be found in the Islamic tradition, where it was the name of the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Zainab bint Muhammad (circa 598-629 CE) was highly revered in the Islamic faith and is considered one of the most influential women in early Islamic history.
Another prominent figure with the name Zainab was Zainab bint Ali (circa 628-683 CE), the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of Islam, and Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. She played a crucial role in the events surrounding the Battle of Karbala and is widely respected in the Shia Islamic tradition.
In the realm of literature, the name Zainab appears in the famous Arabic literary work, "One Thousand and One Nights" (also known as "The Arabian Nights"). One of the stories, "The Tale of Zainab and the Fearless Cyclops," features a character named Zainab who displays courage and resilience.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Zainab. One example is Zainab al-Ghazali (1917-2005), an Egyptian writer and activist who played a significant role in the Egyptian feminist movement and the fight against British colonial rule.
Another prominent individual was Zainab Badawi (1909-2002), a Sudanese women's rights activist and politician who fought for gender equality and women's empowerment in Sudan. She was one of the first women to hold a ministerial position in the Sudanese government.
The name Zainab has also been carried by literary figures, such as Zainab Fedawi (1904-1976), a Palestinian writer and poet who addressed themes of resistance and national identity in her works.
While the name Zainab has its roots in the Arab world, it has gained popularity and recognition across various cultures and regions, reflecting the diverse and rich history associated with this name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Zainab over time
The chart below shows babies named Zainab 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 Zainab, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 360 births in 2024, compared with 444 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zainab by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Zainab 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 | #152 | 1,677 | 5 |
| 2010s | #137 | 3,992 | 10 |
| 2000s | #166 | 3,064 | 10 |
| 1990s | #239 | 674 | 4 |
Geography
Where Zainab is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Zainab. 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.
Zainab ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #275 in 2024.
Across the UK
Zainab in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#275 in 2024
36 years of NRS records, 382 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#446 in 2021
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Zainab
- Zoe 23,808
- Zara 19,377
- Zahra 8,438
- Zoya 4,523
- Zuzanna 4,231
- Zaynab 3,722
- Zofia 2,773
- Zaynah 1,472
- Zaina 1,376
- Zoey 1,262
- Zarah 1,167
- Zoha 995
FAQ
Zainab: questions and answers
How popular is the name Zainab in the UK right now?
In 2024, Zainab was ranked #138 for girls in England and Wales, with 360 births registered.
When was Zainab most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 444 babies registered as Zainab in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Zainab?
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "one who adorns" or "fragrant flower".
How many people are called Zainab in the UK?
A total of 9,407 babies have been registered as Zainab across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 382 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Zainab most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Zainab ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #275 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.