UK girl's name
Zayna
An Arabic name meaning "beautiful" or "adornment".
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.
Zayna is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Zayna popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #603, with 65 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 65 births.
This profile covers 929 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.
Zayna is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 934 living people in the UK are called Zayna. 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
- • Zayna ranked #603 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 65 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 65 girls were registered as Zayna.
- • Zayna ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #790 in 2024.
- • About 934 living people in the UK are estimated to have Zayna as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#603
2024
Births in 2024
65
Latest year
Peak year
2024
65 births
Estimated living
934
2026
Meaning
What does Zayna mean?
The name Zayna finds its origins in the Arabic language and culture, believed to have emerged during the early Islamic era around the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "zayn," which means "beauty" or "adornment," reflecting the name's association with grace and elegance.
Historically, the name Zayna gained prominence within the Islamic world, particularly in regions where Arabic was the predominant language. It was often given to girls as a reflection of their parents' hopes for their daughter to embody beauty, both inner and outer.
While the name does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its root word "zayn" is mentioned in the Quran, underscoring its cultural significance within the Islamic tradition.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Zayna can be traced back to the 9th century CE, when a renowned Arab poet and scholar, Zayna bint al-Qadi al-Baghdadi, gained recognition for her literary contributions. She was born in Baghdad in 815 CE and is celebrated for her poetic works and contributions to Arabic literature.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Zayna, including:
1. Zayna al-Rashid (1850-1924), a Syrian feminist and writer who advocated for women's rights and education in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
2. Zayna Ghandour (1910-2008), a pioneering Lebanese journalist and women's rights activist, known for her work in promoting gender equality and social reform.
3. Zayna Kadri (born 1942), a Moroccan-born French novelist and screenwriter, renowned for her exploration of cultural identity and the experiences of Arab women in her literary works.
4. Zayna Mehta (born 1982), an Indian actress and model who has appeared in various Bollywood films and television shows.
5. Zayna Aston (born 1992), a British YouTuber and social media influencer, known for her fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content.
These individuals, spanning different eras and regions, have contributed to various fields, including literature, activism, entertainment, and social media, further enriching the cultural significance of the name Zayna.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Zayna over time
The chart below shows babies named Zayna 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 Zayna, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 65 births in 2024, compared with 65 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zayna by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Zayna 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 | #749 | 250 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1013 | 357 | 10 |
| 2000s | #974 | 284 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1797 | 38 | 4 |
Geography
Where Zayna is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Zayna. 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.
Zayna ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #790 in 2024.
Across the UK
Zayna in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#790 in 2024
3 years of NRS records, 10 total registered
Related
Names similar to Zayna
- Zoe 23,808
- Zara 19,377
- Zainab 9,407
- 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
FAQ
Zayna: questions and answers
How popular is the name Zayna in the UK right now?
In 2024, Zayna was ranked #603 for girls in England and Wales, with 65 births registered.
When was Zayna most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 65 babies registered as Zayna in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Zayna?
An Arabic name meaning "beautiful" or "adornment".
How many people are called Zayna in the UK?
A total of 929 babies have been registered as Zayna across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 10 more in Scotland.
Where is Zayna most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Zayna ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #790 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.