Zeinab
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "fragrant flower".
Name Census estimates that about 1,241 living Americans carry the first name Zeinab. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zeinab today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zeinab births was 1999 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zeinab. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 276,192 Americans
Peak year
1999
55 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,131
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Zeinab: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zeinab from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 417 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zeinab by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Zeinab during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zeinabs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Michigan, New York, California recorded the most babies named Zeinab, while California, New York, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 229 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zeinab
The name Zeinab originates from the Arabic language and culture, dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "zayn," meaning "adornment" or "beauty." The name is also associated with the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, Zainab bint Muhammad, who lived from 598 to 629 CE.
Zeinab is a prominent name in Islamic history and is mentioned in various religious texts and historical records. The Quran, the central religious text of Islam, refers to Zainab as a virtuous and pious woman, revered for her devotion and sacrifice. Additionally, Zeinab bint Muhammad played a crucial role in preserving and transmitting the teachings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Zeinab can be found in the life of Zainab bint Jahsh, a wife of Prophet Muhammad, who lived from 590 to 641 CE. She was known for her intelligence, courage, and unwavering faith, and her name has since become a symbol of strength and resilience in Islamic tradition.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Zeinab. Zainab al-Ghazali (1917-2005) was an Egyptian activist and writer who played a significant role in the Arab nationalist movement and advocated for women's rights in the Islamic world. Zainab Fawwaz (1850-1914) was a renowned Lebanese poet and writer, celebrated for her contributions to Arabic literature.
Another prominent figure was Zainab al-Kurdi (1889-1969), a Syrian writer and educator who actively promoted women's education and social reforms. Zainab Kadri (1942-2005) was a celebrated Indian actress and dancer, known for her performances in Bollywood films and her dedication to preserving classical Indian dance forms.
Zeinab Banani (1921-2017) was an Iranian scholar and academic who made significant contributions to the study of Persian literature and culture. She was a pioneering figure in academia and served as a professor at universities in Iran and the United States.
People
Zeinab + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zeinab as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zeinab: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zeinab?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,241 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zeinab going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 276,192 US residents.
Is Zeinab a common name?
We classify Zeinab as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,266 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zeinab most popular?
The single biggest year for Zeinab was 1999, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zeinab is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zeinab a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zeinab in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.