Zainab
Girl name · #808 in 2025 · Rare
Zainab ranks #808 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 338 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #941, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 5,325 girls born in 2025 was named Zainab.
Babies named Zainab per year. Source: SSA.
The 68-year story
Zainab first appears in the Social Security records in 1957, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 338 babies and a rank of #807. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Zainab against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Zainab in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Zainab is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Zainab will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Zainab is most common
Geography matters for names, and Zainab is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Zainab is most common in MI (0.9 per 1,000), IL (0.7 per 1,000), NY (0.6 per 1,000), MD (0.5 per 1,000), MN (0.5 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.3 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Zainab is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Zainab
Statistically, parents drawn to Zainab tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Zaynab, Zaira, Quincy, Keziah, and Zaina.
ZaynabZairaQuincyKeziahZainaZahraSorayaSamira
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Zainab | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 338 | #807 |
| 2024 | 319 | #848 |
| 2023 | 307 | #876 |
| 2022 | 298 | #918 |
| 2021 | 280 | #942 |
| 2020 | 264 | #964 |
| 2019 | 294 | #904 |
| 2018 | 280 | #948 |
| 2017 | 308 | #883 |
| 2016 | 301 | #915 |
| 2015 | 288 | #941 |
| 2014 | 302 | #898 |
| 2013 | 260 | #968 |
| 2012 | 247 | #1026 |
| 2011 | 219 | #1120 |
| 2010 | 221 | #1115 |
| 2009 | 212 | #1184 |
| 2008 | 193 | #1286 |
| 2007 | 171 | #1396 |
| 2006 | 178 | #1314 |
| 2005 | 168 | #1314 |
| 2004 | 170 | #1264 |
| 2003 | 154 | #1328 |
| 2002 | 146 | #1328 |
| 2001 | 164 | #1231 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Zainab a popular girl name?
Zainab ranked #808 among girls in 2025 with 338 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #941.
When was the name Zainab most popular?
Zainab peaked in 2025, when 338 American girls received the name (ranked #807 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Zainab?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 5,325 newborn American girls was named Zainab. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.