boy's name
Zayd
ZAYD
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 12,794
the United States
#632
2025 births
Zayd is a boy's name of Arabic origin meaning "growth" or "abundance." It belonged to Zayd ibn Harithah, the only one of the Prophet Muhammad's companions named in the Quran.
- Zayd is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2025, when 442 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,849 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1974.
Zayd over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. Zayd 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 | 6 |
| 1980s | 25 |
| 1990s | 141 |
| 2000s | 742 |
| 2010s | 1,815 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,166 |
What Zayd means
Zayd means increase, growth or abundance, from the Arabic root z-y-d, to add. The sense is of something becoming more over time rather than being large already — growth in progress rather than size achieved.
Where Zayd comes from
Zayd comes from the Arabic zayd, from the root z-y-d, to increase or add. Zayd ibn Harithah was enslaved as a boy, freed and adopted by Muhammad, and is the only companion mentioned by name in the Quran — in a passage that also abolished the legal fiction of adoption altering lineage. The name is unrelated to Zayn, meaning beauty, despite the similarity, and the two are frequently confused in English-language sources.
Zayd in use
Our data shows Zayd peaking in 2025 and still rising, at 181 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1974. Zayn, the separate name meaning beauty, sits at 133 on this site — the two are close in the charts as well as in spelling, which is part of why they get conflated.
How popular is Zayd?
In 2025, Zayd was given to 285 babies in England and Wales, ranking #181 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Zayd 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 Zayd
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Zayd also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Zayd over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Zayd 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.
- Arabic
- Zayed
Sibling names for Zayd
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Zayd — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Zayd
What does the name Zayd mean?
Zayd means "growth" or "abundance," from the Arabic root z-y-d, to increase.
Is Zayd the same as Zayn?
No. Zayn means beauty, from a different root. The two are constantly confused.
Who was Zayd ibn Harithah?
A freed slave adopted by the Prophet Muhammad, and the only companion named in the Quran.
How popular is the name Zayd?
In 2025, Zayd was given to 285 babies in England and Wales, ranking #181 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Zayd a girl's or a boy's name?
Zayd is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Zayd most popular?
Zayd peaked in 2025, when 442 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Zayd a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Zayd currently ranks #105 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.