Zainab
Zainab was the 810th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 338 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 135 places. More babies were named Zainab in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning origin uncertain (Arabic) · Arabic
Say it ZAY-nab /ˈzeɪnæb/
- Rank in 2025
- #810 girls, up 155 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 338girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025338 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,326babies recorded
What does the name Zainab mean?
Zainab (also Zaynab) is an Arabic name borne by a daughter and a granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad and by two of his wives, which made it one of the most honored women's names in Islam. Its origin is uncertain. It is often linked with the name of a fragrant desert plant, and popularly explained as zayn ab 'father's adornment', but that split is a folk etymology. It is used widely across the Muslim world.
زَيْنَب (Zaynab) (Arabic, “Zaynab”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. No etymology is agreed; the plant-name link is the most common scholarly suggestion.
Other explanations you may read: From zayn ab 'adornment of the father'.
Related names: Zaynab, Zeynep, Zenab.
See also: Arabic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Zainab', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Zaynab', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Zainab popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #810 | 338 |
| 2020 | #965 | 264 |
| 2010 | #1,119 | 221 |
| 2000 | #1,328 | 143 |
| 1990 | #2,569 | 47 |
| 1980 | #4,146 | 19 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Zainab, counting every spelling?
Zainab is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #588 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #810 for Zainab on its own. Together these spellings went to 508 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zainab | 338 | #810 | 1,542 |
| Zaynab | 144 | #1,492 | 663 |
| Zeinab | 26 | #5,096 | 123 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Zainab?
338 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Zainab (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Zainab born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 25 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Zainab.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Zainab?
About 7,300 people born in the US named Zainab are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 22. That makes Zainab mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Zainab by state
How common Zainab was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (3.4×), New York (3.3×), Illinois (2.5×), Maryland (2.5×), New Jersey (2.5×). In 28 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Zainab: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Zainab, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Zainab · Sibling names for Zainab
Questions about the name Zainab
What does Zainab mean?
Zainab is usually explained as “origin uncertain (Arabic)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Zainab?
Zainab was the 810th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 338 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 135 places. More babies were named Zainab in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Zainab a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Zainab in the US.
Where is Zainab most popular?
In 2021–2025, Zainab was most common in Michigan (0.65 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and Illinois.