UK girl's name
Zenab
A feminine Arabic name meaning "fragrant branch" or "bright light".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2019. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Zenab is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Zenab popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2019 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4686, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 18 births.
This profile covers 225 England and Wales registrations across 22 recorded years from 1996 to 2019. 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 22% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 234 living people in the UK are called Zenab. 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 2020 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Zenab ranked #4686 for girls in England and Wales in 2019, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 18 girls were registered as Zenab.
- • Zenab ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #793 in 2008.
- • About 234 living people in the UK are estimated to have Zenab as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4686
2019
Births in 2019
4
Latest year
Peak year
1997
18 births
Estimated living
234
2026
Meaning
What does Zenab mean?
The name Zenab is of Arabic origin and has been in use since ancient times. It is derived from the Arabic word "zahab," which means "gold." The name can also be spelled as "Zainab" or "Zaynab."
One of the earliest references to the name Zenab can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, Zenab is mentioned as the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and his first wife, Khadijah. She lived from around 599 to 629 CE and is known for her piety and devotion to Islam.
Another notable historical figure with the name Zenab is Zenab bint Jahsh, who was a wife of the Prophet Muhammad and a cousin of his first wife, Khadijah. She lived from around 590 to 641 CE and is known for her strength of character and her role in the early Muslim community.
In the 7th century CE, there was a Zenab bint Al-Qays, who was a renowned poet and scholar in the Arabian Peninsula. She is known for her contributions to Arabic literature and her influence on the development of the Arabic language.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 CE, there was a Zenab bint Abi'l-Aish, who was a renowned singer and musician. She lived in Baghdad and was known for her beautiful voice and her mastery of various musical instruments.
In the 12th century, there was a Zenab bint Yahya al-Nahrawani, who was a respected scholar and religious leader in Persia (modern-day Iran). She is known for her contributions to Islamic jurisprudence and her teachings on Islamic law.
These are just a few examples of notable historical figures with the name Zenab. The name has been widely used throughout the Arab world and the Islamic world for centuries, and its popularity continues to this day.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Zenab over time
The chart below shows babies named Zenab registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2019. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Zenab, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2019, compared with 18 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zenab by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Zenab 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4719 | 35 | 8 |
| 2000s | #1771 | 125 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1184 | 65 | 4 |
Geography
Where Zenab is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Zenab. 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.
Zenab ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #793 in 2008.
Across the UK
Zenab in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#793 in 2008
3 years of NRS records, 11 total registered
Related
Names similar to Zenab
- 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
Zenab: questions and answers
How popular is the name Zenab in the UK right now?
In 2019, Zenab was ranked #4686 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Zenab most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 18 babies registered as Zenab in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Zenab?
A feminine Arabic name meaning "fragrant branch" or "bright light".
How many people are called Zenab in the UK?
A total of 225 babies have been registered as Zenab across the 22 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 11 more in Scotland.
Where is Zenab most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Zenab ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #793 in 2008. 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.