UK girl's name
Zimal
An Arabic name meaning "companion" or "friend".
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.
Zimal is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Zimal popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #467, with 88 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 88 births.
This profile covers 470 England and Wales registrations across 15 recorded years from 2010 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.
Zimal is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 482 living people in the UK are called Zimal. 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
- • Zimal ranked #467 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 88 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 88 girls were registered as Zimal.
- • Zimal ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #476 in 2024.
- • About 482 living people in the UK are estimated to have Zimal as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#467
2024
Births in 2024
88
Latest year
Peak year
2024
88 births
Estimated living
482
2026
Meaning
What does Zimal mean?
The name Zimal is thought to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known civilizations located in the region of modern-day Iraq. The name is believed to be derived from the Sumerian word "zim," which means "to live" or "life," and the suffix "-al," which was commonly used to form personal names.
One of the earliest known references to the name Zimal can be found in a cuneiform tablet dating back to around 2500 BCE, which recorded the name of a Sumerian scribe. This suggests that the name was in use during the early stages of written language and civilization in Mesopotamia.
In ancient Sumerian mythology, Zimal was also the name of a minor deity associated with fertility and agricultural abundance. This association with life and growth may have contributed to the popularity of the name among the ancient Sumerians.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zimal. One of the earliest recorded examples is Zimal of Uruk, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in the city of Uruk (modern-day Warka, Iraq) around 2300 BCE. His works, including epic poems and hymns, are considered among the earliest known examples of written literature.
Another prominent figure was Zimal the Wise, a Sumerian philosopher and teacher who lived in the city of Nippur (modern-day Nuffar, Iraq) around 2100 BCE. He was renowned for his teachings on ethics, morality, and the nature of existence, which were highly influential in shaping the intellectual and philosophical traditions of ancient Mesopotamia.
During the later Babylonian period, around 1800 BCE, a high-ranking official named Zimal-Marduk served as a vizier (prime minister) under King Hammurabi. He is credited with overseeing the implementation of Hammurabi's famous code of laws, which established a comprehensive legal system in ancient Babylon.
In the realm of ancient Egyptian history, a notable figure named Zimal-Kheper lived during the 18th Dynasty (circa 1550-1292 BCE). He was a high priest and an influential advisor to Pharaoh Akhenaten, known for his role in promoting the controversial religious reforms of the Amarna Period.
The name Zimal also appears in ancient Greek sources, where it is recorded as the name of a philosopher and mathematician from the city of Miletus (modern-day Turkey) who lived around 500 BCE. Although little is known about his life and works, he is mentioned by several ancient authors as a prominent thinker of his time.
While the name Zimal has fallen out of common use in modern times, its ancient origins and historical significance serve as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity of the civilizations that once thrived in the cradle of human civilization.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Zimal over time
The chart below shows babies named Zimal registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2010 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 Zimal, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 88 births in 2024, compared with 88 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zimal by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Zimal 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 | #668 | 320 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2883 | 150 | 10 |
Geography
Where Zimal is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Zimal. 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.
Zimal ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #476 in 2024.
Across the UK
Zimal in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#476 in 2024
3 years of NRS records, 14 total registered
Related
Names similar to Zimal
- 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
Zimal: questions and answers
How popular is the name Zimal in the UK right now?
In 2024, Zimal was ranked #467 for girls in England and Wales, with 88 births registered.
When was Zimal most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 88 babies registered as Zimal in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Zimal?
An Arabic name meaning "companion" or "friend".
How many people are called Zimal in the UK?
A total of 470 babies have been registered as Zimal across the 15 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 14 more in Scotland.
Where is Zimal most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Zimal ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #476 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.