Girl's name
Zahra
Say it ZAH-ruh
Arabic origin 2 syllables
Where Zahra is loved, common and rare
Rare in Canada, Britain, Ireland and 13 more places.
1 in 606 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
Ontario 113thEngland and Wales 116thScotland 183rd
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 19 of the 40 official lists, among them Ontario (113th), England and Wales (116th) and Scotland (183rd).
Show all 19 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario province | 113th 2024 | 92 | about 1 in 592 |
| England and Wales | 116th 2025 | 418 | 1 in 606 |
| Scotland | 183rd 2025 | 22 | 1 in 813 |
| Ireland | 226th 2025 | 19 | 1 in 1,112 |
| British Columbia province | 240th 2023 | 13 | about 1 in 920 |
| Sweden | 263rd 2025 | 28 | about 1 in 1,435 |
| Quebec province | 266th 2025 | 21 | about 1 in 1,238 |
| Catalonia region | 286th 2025 | 12 | 1 in 1,606 |
| Norway | 315th 2025 | 11 | 1 in 1,981 |
| France | 337th 2025 | 160 | 1 in 1,792 |
| Italy | 343rd 2024 | 43 | 1 in 4,167 |
| Berlin city | 385th 2023 | 8 | about 1 in 1,813 |
| Austria | 438th 2025 | 11 | 1 in 3,247 |
| The Netherlands | 440th 2025 | 29 | about 1 in 2,104 |
| Poland | 461st 2025 | 5 | 1 in 23,958 |
| Switzerland | 480th 2025 | 14 | 1 in 2,428 |
| Cologne city | 630th 2023 | 1 | about 1 in 6,143 |
| Israel זהרה | 864th 2024 | 7 | about 1 in 11,211 |
| Bonn city | 249th 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 1,508 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Munich, Leipzig, Rostock, Spain, Hungary and Slovenia.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
An epithet of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, lies behind Zahra, which is borrowed from the Arabic zahrāʔ. No separate meaning is recorded, so it is best understood through that association.
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Two syllables, said ZAH-ruh, with the stress on the first. Zarah and Sahra are alternative spellings, and Sara and Sarah are listed as similar names.
It is used in about nineteen regions, with its strongest English-speaking positions in Ontario and England and Wales, both inside the top 120, and Scotland. It also appears in Sweden, Catalonia and Norway. French records show it reaching its highest point so far in 2025, and it is rising in far more regions than it is falling.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- ZAH-ruh, 2 syllables
- Origin
- Arabic
Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic زَهْراء (zahrāʔ), an epithet of Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 9 of 15 regions, falling in 2.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 154 | 162 | 162 | 156 | 174 | 190 | 147 | 142 | 126 | 116 |
| Scotland | 240 | 191 | 244 | 248 | 220 | 558 | 303 | 263 | 171 | 183 |
| Northern Ireland | 336 | 350 | 302 | 337 | ||||||
| Ireland | 419 | 365 | 361 | 347 | 355 | 363 | 338 | 247 | 275 | 226 |
| Ontario | 156 | 148 | 158 | 143 | 122 | 148 | 112 | 101 | 113 | |
| British Columbia | 513 | 415 | 520 | 515 | 495 | 381 | 240 | |||
| New South Wales | 92 | 97 | ||||||||
| South Australia | 130 | 121 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 334 | 319 | 337 | 330 | 411 | 404 | 387 | 322 | 305 | 266 |
| France | 387 | 395 | 419 | 441 | 392 | 368 | 446 | 390 | 377 | 337 |
| The Netherlands | 370 | 436 | 367 | 437 | 399 | 586 | 431 | 356 | 440 | |
| Austria | 353 | 433 | 332 | 398 | 580 | 399 | 497 | 407 | 406 | 438 |
| Switzerland | 733 | 696 | 711 | 1020 | 561 | 587 | 469 | 581 | 1147 | 480 |
| Berlin | 283 | 379 | 231 | 398 | 264 | 437 | 301 | 385 | ||
| Munich | 226 | |||||||||
| Cologne | 236 | 168 | 918 | 238 | 432 | 266 | 420 | 630 | ||
| Bonn | 220 | 226 | 221 | 357 | 419 | 181 | 380 | 362 | 249 | |
| Leipzig | 411 | 186 | 406 | 405 | 361 | 357 | ||||
| Norway | 257 | 257 | 326 | 326 | 286 | 338 | 388 | 274 | 260 | 315 |
| Sweden | 322 | 294 | 388 | 306 | 325 | 366 | 350 | 290 | 290 | 263 |
| Catalonia | 626 | 399 | 486 | 485 | 475 | 335 | 400 | 227 | 286 | |
| Italy | 471 | 491 | 378 | 361 | 443 | 343 | ||||
| Poland | 612 | 461 | ||||||||
| Israel | 556 | 747 | 621 | 1037 | 594 | 849 | 679 | 757 | 864 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 116 | 418 | 165.0 |
| 2024 | 126 | 387 | 150.0 |
| 2023 | 142 | 346 | 134.9 |
| 2022 | 147 | 333 | 126.4 |
| 2021 | 190 | 269 | 98.2 |
| 2020 | 174 | 289 | 107.7 |
| 2019 | 156 | 320 | 114.3 |
| 2018 | 162 | 333 | 115.5 |
| 2017 | 162 | 345 | 115.4 |
| 2016 | 154 | 359 | 116.9 |
| 2015 | 149 | 361 | 117.2 |
| 2014 | 158 | 353 | 115.1 |
| 2013 | 167 | 314 | 101.8 |
| 2012 | 144 | 393 | 122.0 |
| 2011 | 154 | 345 | 107.4 |
| 2010 | 151 | 348 | 108.4 |
| 2009 | 152 | 361 | 115.2 |
| 2008 | 136 | 396 | 125.4 |
| 2007 | 155 | 352 | 115.0 |
| 2006 | 158 | 338 | 113.0 |
| 2005 | 183 | 278 | 96.4 |
| 2004 | 197 | 235 | 82.2 |
| 2003 | 211 | 223 | 80.0 |
| 2002 | 188 | 227 | 84.9 |
| 2001 | 219 | 184 | 68.7 |
| 2000 | 226 | 181 | 66.3 |
| 1999 | 260 | 152 | 54.0 |
| 1998 | 254 | 157 | 54.3 |
| 1997 | 256 | 153 | 52.2 |
| 1996 | 331 | 106 | 35.8 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Zahra in France since 1925 were born in or after 2009. First recorded in 1946. Her peak year there: 2025, at 55.8 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Zahra per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Zahra
1 in 1,064 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zahra.
1 in 745 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zahra.
1 in 1,771 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zahra.
1 in 1,491 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Zahra.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Aliya.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zahra.
1 in 307 in England and Wales
1 in 581 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zahra.
1 in 1,193 in Scotland
1 in 3,838 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zahra.
1 in 778 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Zahra.
Middle names for Zahra
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Zahra Grace
2-1 beats · initials ZG
Changes the beat after Zahra: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Zahra Olivia
2-4 beats · initials ZO · Zahra slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Zahra: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Zahra slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Zahra Sophia
2-3 beats · initials ZS
Changes the beat after Zahra: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Zahra Maria
2-3 beats · initials ZM
Changes the beat after Zahra: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Zahra Rose
2-1 beats · initials ZR
Changes the beat after Zahra: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Zahra Emily
2-3 beats · initials ZE · Zahra slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Zahra: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Zahra slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Zahra Julia
2-3 beats · initials ZJ
Changes the beat after Zahra: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Zahra Miriam
2-3 beats · initials ZM
Changes the beat after Zahra: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Zahra
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 307 in England and Wales
97% alike: moves with Zahra across countries and decades.
1 in 658 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Zahra across countries and decades.
1 in 1,415 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Zahra across countries and decades.
1 in 581 in England and Wales
95% alike: moves with Zahra across countries and decades.
1 in 778 in Scotland
95% alike: moves with Zahra across countries and decades.
1 in 424 in England and Wales
95% alike: moves with Zahra across countries and decades.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Zahra across countries and decades.
1 in 587 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Zahra across countries and decades.
Famous people named Zahra
Zahra Nemati, Zahra Rahnavard, Zahra Eshraghi, Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh, Zahra Kazemi, Zahra Lari and Zahra Joya.
Show all 7Show less
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Iranian Paralympic and Olympic archer (born 1985)
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Iranian academic and politician born 1945
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Iranian activist born 1964
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Persian princess and memoirist of the Qajar Dynasty. (1883–1936)
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Iranian photographer 1949 to 2003
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Emirati figure skater born 1995
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Afghan journalist and feminist born 1992
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Zahra
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Zahra?
Her best rank is No. 113 in Ontario in 2024, about 1 in 592 girls. She is in the published lists of 19 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Zahra?
ZAH-ruh, with 2 syllables.
Is Zahra getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 9 of 15 regions, falling in 2.
Which sister names go with Zahra?
The deck's top five sisters for Zahra: Amina, Khadija, Marwa, Aliyah and Noor. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.