Thirty years of Zahra
Zahra in numbers
Zahra is still climbing: from 106 girls in 1996 to 418 in 2025, its highest count so far. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2005 and 2008, from 278 to 396. On average it was given to 142 girls a year in the late 1990s, 278 in the 2000s, 347 in the 2010s and 340 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+8%387 to 418
- 5 years+45%289 to 418
- 10 years+16%361 to 418
- 20 years+50%278 to 418
- Since 1996×4106 to 418
- Total, 1996 to 20258,856girls
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 116 · ONS · 387 in 2024
Rank 183 · NRS · 24 in 2024
Fewer than 3 babies, or not published · NISRA
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 116 | 418 | +8% | 1 in 681 |
| 2024 | 126 | 387 | +12% | 1 in 749 |
| 2023 | 142 | 346 | +4% | 1 in 832 |
| 2022 | =147 | 333 | +24% | 1 in 885 |
| 2021 | =190 | 269 | -7% | 1 in 1,133 |
| 2020 | 174 | 289 | -10% | 1 in 1,036 |
| 2019 | =156 | 320 | -4% | 1 in 973 |
| 2018 | 162 | 333 | -3% | 1 in 959 |
| 2017 | =162 | 345 | -4% | 1 in 960 |
| 2016 | =154 | 359 | -1% | 1 in 945 |
| 2015 | 149 | 361 | +2% | 1 in 941 |
| 2014 | 158 | 353 | +12% | 1 in 959 |
| 2013 * | =167 | 314 | -20% | 1 in 1,088 |
| 2012 | =144 | 393 | +14% | 1 in 904 |
| 2011 | 154 | 345 | -1% | 1 in 1,023 |
| 2010 | 151 | 348 | -4% | 1 in 1,012 |
| 2009 | 152 | 361 | -9% | 1 in 953 |
| 2008 | 136 | 396 | +13% | 1 in 873 |
| 2007 | 155 | 352 | +4% | 1 in 953 |
| 2006 | 158 | 338 | +22% | 1 in 968 |
| 2005 | 183 | 278 | +18% | 1 in 1,134 |
| 2004 | 197 | 235 | +5% | 1 in 1,325 |
| 2003 | =211 | 223 | -2% | 1 in 1,359 |
| 2002 | =188 | 227 | +23% | 1 in 1,278 |
| 2001 | 219 | 184 | +2% | 1 in 1,576 |
| 2000 | =226 | 181 | +19% | 1 in 1,629 |
| 1999 | =260 | 152 | -3% | 1 in 1,991 |
| 1998 | =254 | 157 | +3% | n/a |
| 1997 | =256 | 153 | +44% | 1 in 2,049 |
| 1996 | =331 | 106 | 1 in 2,981 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Zahra
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Zahra is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate