girl's name
Zainab
ZAY-nab
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 21,383
the United States
#808
2025 births
Zainab is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "fragrant flowering tree." It was borne by a daughter and a granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, and is among the most significant women's names in Islam.
- Zainab is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2010, when 444 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 1,369 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
Zainab over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 674 |
| 2000s | 3,064 |
| 2010s | 3,992 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,062 |
What Zainab means
Zainab names a fragrant flowering plant, often identified with a desert tree bearing scented blossom. A separate folk reading treats it as zayn plus ab, the ornament of her father, which is a later gloss rather than an etymology.
Where Zainab comes from
Zainab is an old Arabic name for a fragrant flowering tree, attested before Islam. Zaynab bint Muhammad was the Prophet's eldest daughter, and Zaynab bint Ali, his granddaughter, is a major figure in Shia tradition for her role after the Battle of Karbala in 680 — her shrine in Damascus is a significant pilgrimage site. The reading ornament of her father comes from splitting the name into zayn, adornment, and ab, father, which is phonetically neat but historically doubtful given the name's pre-Islamic use as a plant word.
Zainab in use
Our data shows Zainab peaking in 2010 and still rising, at 128 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1996. It sits alongside Zaynab, Zeinab and Zainah in our data — one name across four spellings, so the total use is considerably higher than any single ranking shows.
How popular is Zainab?
In 2025, Zainab was given to 385 babies in England and Wales, ranking #128 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Zainab is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
How Zainab is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Zaïnab | Zaïnab is Zainab written with a diaeresis, used in France, where it ranks #1,846. | 225 |
Names that peaked alongside Zainab
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Zainab also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Zainab over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Zainab
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.
Zainab 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 Zainab
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Zainab — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Zainab
What does the name Zainab mean?
Zainab names a fragrant flowering tree. The common "ornament of her father" reading is a later gloss.
Who was Zaynab in Islam?
Both the Prophet Muhammad's eldest daughter and his granddaughter Zaynab bint Ali, who is central to Shia tradition after Karbala.
Is Zainab or Zaynab the correct spelling?
Both render the same Arabic name. Zainab is the more common British spelling; Zaynab is closer to the Arabic vowels.
How popular is the name Zainab?
In 2025, Zainab was given to 385 babies in England and Wales, ranking #128 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Zainab a girl's or a boy's name?
Zainab is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Zainab most popular?
Zainab peaked in 2010, when 444 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Zainab?
Zainab is usually shortened to Zain and Zizi.
Is Zainab a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Zainab currently ranks #128 in England and Wales. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.