Thirty years of Zainab
Zainab in numbers
Zainab has risen from 154 girls in 1996 to 385 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 444 in 2010. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2005 and 2008, from 294 to 415. On average it was given to 169 girls a year in the late 1990s, 306 in the 2000s, 399 in the 2010s and 344 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Similar spellings in the 2025 list†: Zaynab (149), Zeinab (9), Zayneb (6), Zeynab (5), Zaineb (4). Matched by their letters, not by meaning or origin. ONS counts each spelling separately, so these are not added to Zainab.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+7%360 to 385
- 5 years+1%380 to 385
- 10 years-2%392 to 385
- 20 years+31%294 to 385
- Since 1996×3154 to 385
- Total, 1996 to 20259,792girls
† 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 128 · ONS · 360 in 2024
Rank 217 · NRS · 13 in 2024
Rank 290 · 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 | 128 | 385 | +7% | 1 in 739 |
| 2024 | 138 | 360 | +11% | 1 in 805 |
| 2023 | =156 | 324 | +6% | 1 in 889 |
| 2022 | 163 | 306 | -0% | 1 in 964 |
| 2021 | 170 | 307 | -19% | 1 in 993 |
| 2020 | 133 | 380 | +9% | 1 in 788 |
| 2019 | 146 | 348 | -3% | 1 in 894 |
| 2018 | =143 | 360 | -4% | 1 in 887 |
| 2017 | 142 | 376 | -8% | 1 in 880 |
| 2016 | 137 | 410 | +5% | 1 in 827 |
| 2015 | 142 | 392 | -5% | 1 in 867 |
| 2014 | 131 | 413 | -2% | 1 in 819 |
| 2013 * | 129 | 420 | -3% | 1 in 813 |
| 2012 | =129 | 434 | +10% | 1 in 819 |
| 2011 | 141 | 395 | -11% | 1 in 893 |
| 2010 | 128 | 444 | +7% | 1 in 793 |
| 2009 | 133 | 415 | +0% | 1 in 829 |
| 2008 | 125 | 415 | +12% | 1 in 833 |
| 2007 | 146 | 372 | +12% | 1 in 902 |
| 2006 | =160 | 331 | +13% | 1 in 988 |
| 2005 | 175 | 294 | +3% | 1 in 1,072 |
| 2004 | 173 | 285 | +13% | 1 in 1,093 |
| 2003 | 186 | 252 | -6% | 1 in 1,202 |
| 2002 | 165 | 267 | +17% | 1 in 1,086 |
| 2001 | 184 | 229 | +12% | 1 in 1,266 |
| 2000 | =208 | 204 | +15% | 1 in 1,445 |
| 1999 | 231 | 178 | -5% | 1 in 1,700 |
| 1998 | 222 | 188 | +22% | n/a |
| 1997 | =251 | 154 | +0% | 1 in 2,036 |
| 1996 | 252 | 154 | 1 in 2,052 |
* 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 Zainab
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Zainab 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