Girl's name
Zainab
Say it ZAY-nab
2 syllables
Where Zainab is loved, common and rare
Rare in Catalonia, the UK, Canada and 12 more places.
1 in 658 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
Catalonia 112thEngland and Wales 128thOntario 149th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 19 of the 40 official lists, among them Catalonia (112th), England and Wales (128th) and Ontario (149th).
Show all 19 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalonia region | 112th 2025 | 38 | 1 in 507 |
| England and Wales | 128th 2025 | 385 | 1 in 658 |
| Ontario province | 149th 2024 | 74 | about 1 in 736 |
| Munich city | 201st 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 699 |
| Scotland | 217th 2025 | 17 | 1 in 1,052 |
| Ireland | 273rd 2025 | 15 | 1 in 1,408 |
| Austria | 279th 2025 | 20 | 1 in 1,786 |
| Northern Ireland | 290th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 1,457 |
| British Columbia province | 294th 2023 | 11 | about 1 in 1,087 |
| Berlin city | 306th 2023 | 10 | about 1 in 1,450 |
| Sweden | 324th 2025 | 22 | about 1 in 1,826 |
| Italy | 343rd 2024 | 43 | 1 in 4,167 |
| Quebec province | 467th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 2,600 |
| The Netherlands | 477th 2025 | 26 | about 1 in 2,347 |
| Cologne city | 630th 2023 | 1 | about 1 in 6,143 |
| France | 760th 2025 | 65 | 1 in 4,412 |
| Switzerland | 1168th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 8,498 |
| Bonn city | 173rd 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 1,005 |
| Leipzig city | 344th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 2,624 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Rostock, Norway, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
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.
Sources: Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); NISRA (Northern Ireland); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
Zainab has no recorded origin, meaning or etymology here, so the most that can be said with certainty is what it sounds like and where it is used. Zeynep, the Turkish form, and Zaynab and Zeinab are listed as related spellings.
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Two syllables, said ZAY-nab, with the stress on the first. Zaïnab is a French spelling.
It is rising in twelve regions and falling in none. England and Wales ranks it among the top 130, and it is also used in Ontario and Scotland, as well as in Catalonia, Austria and Sweden. Canadian records show a peak in 2023, which suggests a name that is still growing in popularity.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- ZAY-nab, 2 syllables
- Other spellings
- Zeynep
- Zeinab
- Zainabu
- Zaynab
Counted together here: Zaïnab.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 12 of 16 regions, falling in none.
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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 | 137 | 142 | 143 | 146 | 133 | 170 | 163 | 156 | 138 | 128 |
| Scotland | 383 | 253 | 324 | 286 | 229 | 363 | 248 | 323 | 275 | 217 |
| Northern Ireland | 446 | 290 | ||||||||
| Ireland | 661 | 396 | 280 | 551 | 410 | 517 | 420 | 495 | 441 | 273 |
| Ontario | 176 | 153 | 165 | 157 | 142 | 170 | 173 | 113 | 149 | |
| British Columbia | 518 | 398 | 264 | 294 | ||||||
| Quebec | 601 | 414 | 388 | 813 | 915 | 703 | 427 | 412 | 467 | |
| France | 1318 | 1161 | 1024 | 1112 | 989 | 911 | 829 | 801 | 721 | 760 |
| The Netherlands | 648 | 693 | 633 | 690 | 678 | 659 | 552 | 533 | 477 | |
| Austria | 1331 | 669 | 664 | 874 | 851 | 758 | 541 | 727 | 429 | 279 |
| Switzerland | 1002 | 696 | 832 | 1527 | 1559 | 1077 | 1143 | 1310 | 560 | 1168 |
| Berlin | 598 | 281 | 491 | 496 | 378 | 361 | 468 | 306 | ||
| Munich | 239 | 201 | ||||||||
| Bonn | 512 | 226 | 357 | 419 | 392 | 236 | 362 | 173 | ||
| Leipzig | 253 | 411 | 378 | 406 | 389 | 361 | 178 | 344 | ||
| Norway | 309 | 257 | 371 | 403 | 471 | 427 | 292 | 240 | 413 | |
| Sweden | 278 | 349 | 365 | 364 | 356 | 377 | 387 | 270 | 335 | 324 |
| Catalonia | 204 | 173 | 148 | 164 | 154 | 186 | 134 | 167 | 167 | 112 |
| Italy | 387 | 354 | 337 | 313 | 299 | 343 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 128 | 385 | 152.0 |
| 2024 | 138 | 360 | 139.5 |
| 2023 | 156 | 324 | 126.3 |
| 2022 | 163 | 306 | 116.1 |
| 2021 | 170 | 307 | 112.0 |
| 2020 | 133 | 380 | 141.6 |
| 2019 | 146 | 348 | 124.3 |
| 2018 | 143 | 360 | 124.9 |
| 2017 | 142 | 376 | 125.7 |
| 2016 | 137 | 410 | 133.5 |
| 2015 | 142 | 392 | 127.3 |
| 2014 | 131 | 413 | 134.7 |
| 2013 | 129 | 420 | 136.2 |
| 2012 | 129 | 434 | 134.8 |
| 2011 | 141 | 395 | 122.9 |
| 2010 | 128 | 444 | 138.3 |
| 2009 | 133 | 415 | 132.4 |
| 2008 | 125 | 415 | 131.4 |
| 2007 | 146 | 372 | 121.5 |
| 2006 | 160 | 331 | 110.6 |
| 2005 | 175 | 294 | 102.0 |
| 2004 | 173 | 285 | 99.7 |
| 2003 | 186 | 252 | 90.4 |
| 2002 | 165 | 267 | 99.9 |
| 2001 | 184 | 229 | 85.4 |
| 2000 | 208 | 204 | 74.7 |
| 1999 | 231 | 178 | 63.2 |
| 1998 | 222 | 188 | 65.0 |
| 1997 | 251 | 154 | 52.5 |
| 1996 | 252 | 154 | 52.0 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Zainab in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2012. First recorded in 1987. Her peak year there: 2023, at 160.7 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Zainab per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2023 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Zainab
1 in 1,118 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Zainab.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Ariana and Arya.
1 in 1,849 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zainab.
1 in 1,625 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Zainab.
1 in 1,415 in England and Wales
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zainab.
1 in 745 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zainab.
1 in 1,583 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zainab.
1 in 596 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zainab.
1 in 606 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zainab. Same first letter as Zainab.
1 in 3,838 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Zainab.
Middle names for Zainab
1 in 71 in Scotland
Zainab Olivia
2-4 beats · initials ZO
Changes the beat after Zainab: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Zainab Emily
2-3 beats · initials ZE
Changes the beat after Zainab: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Zainab Grace
2-1 beats · initials ZG
Changes the beat after Zainab: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Zainab Sophia
2-3 beats · initials ZS
Changes the beat after Zainab: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Zainab Maria
2-3 beats · initials ZM
Changes the beat after Zainab: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Zainab Amelia
2-4 beats · initials ZA
Changes the beat after Zainab: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 162 in England and Wales
Zainab Evelyn
2-3 beats · initials ZE
Changes the beat after Zainab: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Zainab Rose
2-1 beats · initials ZR
Changes the beat after Zainab: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
Same style as Zainab
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
97% alike: moves with Zainab across countries and decades.
1 in 307 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Zainab across countries and decades.
1 in 606 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Zainab across countries and decades.
1 in 1,415 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Zainab across countries and decades.
1 in 581 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Zainab across countries and decades.
1 in 1,634 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Zainab across countries and decades.
1 in 636 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Zainab across countries and decades.
1 in 473 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Zainab across countries and decades.
Famous people named Zainab
Zainab bint Muhammad, Zainab Bangura, Zainab Salbi, Zainab al-Ghazali, Zainab Ahmed, Zainab Balogun and Zainab Fasiki.
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Eldest daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad 599 to 629
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Sierra Leonean politician born 1959
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Iraqi American author, women's rights activist born 1969
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Egyptian activist (1923-2005) 1917 to 2005
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Nigerian politician born 1960
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Nigerian-English actress born 1989
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Moroccan comics artist, mechanical engineer and activist for women's rights born 1994
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Zainab
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 Zainab?
Her best rank is No. 112 in Catalonia in 2025, about 1 in 507 girls. She is in the published lists of 19 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Zainab?
ZAY-nab, with 2 syllables.
Is Zainab getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 12 of 16 regions, falling in none.
Which sister names go with Zainab?
The deck's top five sisters for Zainab: Arianna, Yasmin, Selena, Mariam and Leyla. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.