Zeinab
Zeinab was the 5096th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 26 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 2607th with 55 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 373 places. More babies were named Zeinab in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Zainab) origin uncertain (Arabic) · Arabic
- Rank in 2025
- #5,096 girls, up 66 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 26girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199955 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,292babies recorded
What does the name Zeinab mean?
Zeinab is a spelling of Zainab, pronounced the same way, so it shares Zainab's meaning and origin.
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)
Zeinab popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,096 | 26 |
| 2020 | #5,162 | 25 |
| 2010 | #4,605 | 32 |
| 2000 | #3,069 | 46 |
| 1990 | #4,692 | 21 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Zeinab, counting every spelling?
Zeinab is a spelling of Zainab, a name family that ranked #588 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #5,096 for Zeinab 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 Zeinab?
26 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Zeinab (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Zeinab 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 323 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Zeinab.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Zeinab?
About 1,300 people born in the US named Zeinab are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 13 and 29. That makes Zeinab 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.
Zeinab by state
How common Zeinab was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (10.9×). In 49 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 Zeinab: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Zeinab, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Zeinab
What does Zeinab mean?
Zeinab is a spelling of Zainab, usually explained as “origin uncertain (Arabic)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Zeinab?
Zeinab was the 5096th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 26 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 2607th with 55 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 373 places. More babies were named Zeinab in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Zeinab a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Zeinab in the US.
Where is Zeinab most popular?
In 2021–2025, Zeinab was most common in Michigan (0.17 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and New York.