girl's name
Fatima
FAT-i-ma
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 87,495
the United States
#330
2025 births
Fatima is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "one who weans" or "one who abstains." It was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's youngest daughter, and it reached Catholic Europe by an entirely separate route through the Portuguese town of Fátima.
- Fatima is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2007, when 1,517 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 881 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1919.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Fatima over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. Fatima is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 6 |
| 1920s | 22 |
| 1930s | 62 |
| 1940s | 125 |
| 1950s | 281 |
| 1960s | 565 |
| 1970s | 1,484 |
| 1980s | 2,444 |
| 1990s | 4,446 |
| 2000s | 13,624 |
| 2010s | 10,495 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,437 |
What Fatima means
Fatima means she who weans, from the Arabic fatama, to wean or to separate. The sense extends to one who abstains — separated from what is forbidden.
Where Fatima comes from
Fatima comes from the Arabic root f-t-m, to wean or to sever. Fatima bint Muhammad, the Prophet's youngest daughter and the wife of Ali, is among the most venerated women in Islam, and Shia Muslims trace the line of the Imams through her. The name has a second and unrelated path into Europe: the Portuguese town of Fátima was named after a Moorish princess during the Reconquista, and the 1917 Marian apparitions there made Our Lady of Fátima a major Catholic devotion. That is why Fatima is used by Portuguese, Spanish and Latin American Catholic families who have no connection to its Arabic origin.
Fatima in use
Our data shows Fatima at 79 in England and Wales against 330 in the United States, peaking in 2007 and stable since. It is one of very few names carried into the same country by two separate religious traditions that do not otherwise share naming practices.
How popular is Fatima?
In 2025, Fatima was given to 598 babies in England and Wales, ranking #79 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Fatima is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
How Fatima is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Fâtima | Fâtima is a rare spelling of Fatima, written with a circumflex and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Fatima
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Fatima also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Fatima over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Fatima
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Fatima in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Fatima
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Fatima — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Fatima
What does the name Fatima mean?
Fatima means "one who weans" or "one who abstains," from the Arabic fatama, to wean or separate.
Who was Fatima in Islam?
The youngest daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and wife of Ali. Shia Muslims trace the line of the Imams through her.
Why do Catholic families use Fatima?
The Portuguese town of Fátima, named after a Moorish princess, was the site of the 1917 Marian apparitions, making Our Lady of Fátima a major devotion.
How popular is the name Fatima?
In 2025, Fatima was given to 598 babies in England and Wales, ranking #79 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Fatima a girl's or a boy's name?
Fatima is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Fatima?
Fatima has 3 syllables.
When was Fatima most popular?
Fatima peaked in 2007, when 1,517 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Fatima?
Fatima is usually shortened to Tima, Fati and Ima.
Is Fatima a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Fatima currently ranks #79 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.