NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Zaira

An Arabic name meaning "flourishing, blossoming 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.

Zaira is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Zaira popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #736, with 51 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 51 births.

This profile covers 416 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.

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

We estimate that about 420 living people in the UK are called Zaira. 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

  • Zaira ranked #736 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 51 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 51 girls were registered as Zaira.
  • Zaira ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2017.
  • About 420 living people in the UK are estimated to have Zaira as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#736

2024

Births in 2024

51

Latest year

Peak year

2024

51 births

Estimated living

420

2026

Meaning

What does Zaira mean?

The name Zaira is of Arabic origin, derived from the Arabic word "zahrah," which means "flower" or "blossom." This name has been in use since ancient times in the Middle East and North Africa.

In Islamic tradition, the name Zaira is associated with beauty and grace. It is mentioned in some historical texts and records from the medieval era, particularly in regions that were part of the Islamic Golden Age, such as Persia and parts of the Middle East.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Zaira is found in the 9th century, when an Arab poetess named Zaira bint Al-Muqtadir lived during the Abbasid Caliphate. She was renowned for her poetic talents and was a member of the literary circles in Baghdad.

Another notable figure with the name Zaira was Zaira al-Alawiyya (1213-1292), a Sufi mystic and scholar from modern-day Morocco. She was a prominent figure in the Shadhili Sufi order and wrote several influential works on Sufism and Islamic spirituality.

In the 16th century, Zaira Fernandez de Otero (1520-1590) was a Spanish noblewoman and philanthropist known for her charitable works and support for the poor and underprivileged in her community.

Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Zaira Polixena (1876-1962) was an Italian painter and illustrator who was active in the Art Nouveau movement. She is particularly known for her intricate and detailed illustrations of plants and flowers, reflecting the meaning of her name.

In more recent times, Zaira Wasim (born 1991) is an Indian actress who gained recognition for her performances in Bollywood films such as "Dangal" and "Secret Superstar." She received several awards and accolades for her acting abilities at a young age.

While the name Zaira has Arabic roots, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and regions over the centuries, with each culture adding its own unique interpretation and significance to the name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Zaira over time

The chart below shows babies named Zaira 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 Zaira, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 51 births in 2024, compared with 51 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Zaira
013263851199620102024

Decades

Zaira by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Zaira 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 #894 201 5
2010s #2688 111 10
2000s #2711 77 10
1990s #2295 27 4

Geography

Where Zaira is most common

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

Zaira ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2017.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Zaira in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#790 in 2024

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#432 in 2017

1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Zaira

FAQ

Zaira: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Zaira was ranked #736 for girls in England and Wales, with 51 births registered.

When was Zaira most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 51 babies registered as Zaira in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Zaira?

An Arabic name meaning "flourishing, blossoming flower".

How many people are called Zaira in the UK?

A total of 416 babies have been registered as Zaira across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Zaira most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Zaira ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #432 in 2017. 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.