UK boy's name
Zakariya
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "God remembers" or "God has remembered".
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.
Zakariya is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Zakariya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #127, with 434 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 434 births.
This profile covers 5,447 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.
Zakariya is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 5,537 living people in the UK are called Zakariya. 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
- • Zakariya ranked #127 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 434 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 434 boys were registered as Zakariya.
- • Zakariya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
- • About 5,537 living people in the UK are estimated to have Zakariya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#127
2024
Births in 2024
434
Latest year
Peak year
2024
434 births
Estimated living
5,537
2026
Meaning
What does Zakariya mean?
Zakariya is a masculine given name derived from the Arabic name Zakariyya, which itself originates from the Hebrew name Zechariah. The name can be traced back to ancient Semitic languages and has its roots in the word "zakhar," meaning "to remember" or "to praise."
The name Zakariya has strong biblical connections and is found in various religious texts. In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), Zechariah was one of the twelve minor prophets and the author of the Book of Zechariah. His name is also mentioned in the New Testament as the father of John the Baptist.
The earliest recorded use of the name Zakariya dates back to the 6th century BCE, with several individuals bearing this name mentioned in ancient Hebrew and Arabic texts. One of the most notable figures with this name is Zakariya al-Razi, a renowned Persian philosopher, alchemist, and physician who lived in the 9th and 10th centuries CE.
Throughout history, several influential figures have borne the name Zakariya. Here are five notable examples:
1. Zakariya al-Razi (854-925 CE): A Persian polymath, considered one of the most influential scholars of the Islamic Golden Age, known for his contributions to medicine, philosophy, and chemistry.
2. Zakariya al-Qazwini (1203-1283 CE): A Persian scholar, geographer, and writer, best known for his works on cosmography and natural history, such as "Ajaib al-Makhluqat" (Wonders of Creation).
3. Zakariya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini (1203-1283 CE): A renowned Persian scholar and author of the celebrated work "Athar al-Bilad wa Akhbar al-Ibad" (Monuments of the Lands and History of God's Bondsmen).
4. Zakariya al-Ansari (1420-1520 CE): An influential Sunni Islamic scholar, jurist, and mystic from the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, known for his work "Manhaj al-Tullab" (The Path of Students).
5. Zakariya Yahya bin Mahmud al-Kazwini (1268-1348 CE): A Persian astronomer and mathematician, known for his contributions to the study of planetary motion and the development of astronomical instruments.
These individuals, spanning different eras and regions, have contributed significantly to various fields, including religion, science, philosophy, and literature, helping to preserve and further the legacy of the name Zakariya.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Zakariya over time
The chart below shows babies named Zakariya 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 Zakariya, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 434 births in 2024, compared with 434 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zakariya by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Zakariya 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 | #151 | 1,782 | 5 |
| 2010s | #212 | 2,561 | 10 |
| 2000s | #348 | 988 | 10 |
| 1990s | #657 | 116 | 4 |
Geography
Where Zakariya is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Zakariya. 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.
Zakariya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
Across the UK
Zakariya in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#404 in 2024
20 years of NRS records, 124 total registered
Related
Names similar to Zakariya
- Zachary 29,362
- Zak 9,988
- Zain 7,620
- Zac 7,272
- Zack 7,101
- Zach 4,754
- Zayn 4,326
- Zachariah 3,234
- Zion 3,141
- Zane 2,818
- Zayd 2,609
- Zayan 2,318
FAQ
Zakariya: questions and answers
How popular is the name Zakariya in the UK right now?
In 2024, Zakariya was ranked #127 for boys in England and Wales, with 434 births registered.
When was Zakariya most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 434 babies registered as Zakariya in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Zakariya?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "God remembers" or "God has remembered".
How many people are called Zakariya in the UK?
A total of 5,447 babies have been registered as Zakariya across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 124 more in Scotland.
Where is Zakariya most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Zakariya ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #404 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.