girl's name
Zahra
ZAH-ra
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 26,382
the United States
#539
2025 births
Zahra is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "radiant" or "blossoming." It comes from the root z-h-r, and Al-Zahra, the Radiant, is the traditional epithet of Fatima, the Prophet Muhammad's daughter.
- Zahra is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2025, when 562 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,261 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1973.
Zahra over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. Zahra 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 |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 111 |
| 1980s | 349 |
| 1990s | 688 |
| 2000s | 1,540 |
| 2010s | 3,645 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,062 |
What Zahra means
Zahra means shining, radiant or blossoming. The Arabic root covers both brightness and flowering, so the two meanings given in reference works are one idea rather than two.
Where Zahra comes from
Zahra comes from the Arabic root z-h-r, which produces zahra, a flower or blossom, and zahara, to shine — the connection being the brightness of a flower in bloom. Fatima al-Zahra, the Radiant, is the honorific of the Prophet Muhammad's daughter, which gives the name deep significance particularly in Shia tradition. It is closely related to Zahrah and to Zara, the shortened form common in Britain, and the same root lies behind the Spanish azahar, orange blossom, borrowed through Arabic during the period of Muslim rule.
Zahra in use
Our data shows Zahra peaking in 2025 and still rising, at 116 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1973. Zara, its shortened British form, sits at 73 — so the two forms together are considerably more used than either ranking shows.
How popular is Zahra?
In 2025, Zahra was given to 418 babies in England and Wales, ranking #116 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Zahra 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.
Names that peaked alongside Zahra
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Zahra also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Zahra over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Zahra
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.
Zahra 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 Zahra
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Zahra — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Zahra
What does the name Zahra mean?
Zahra means "radiant" or "blossoming," from the Arabic root z-h-r.
Who was Fatima al-Zahra?
The Prophet Muhammad's daughter. Al-Zahra, the Radiant, is her traditional epithet, which gives the name particular weight in Shia tradition.
Are Zahra and Zara the same name?
Closely related. Zara is the shortened form common in Britain; Zahra is nearer the Arabic.
How popular is the name Zahra?
In 2025, Zahra was given to 418 babies in England and Wales, ranking #116 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Zahra a girl's or a boy's name?
Zahra is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Zahra most popular?
Zahra peaked in 2025, when 562 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Zahra?
Zahra is usually shortened to Zee.
Is Zahra a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Zahra currently ranks #116 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.