Zuha
A feminine Arabic name meaning "radiant" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the first name Zuha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zuha today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zuha births was 2003 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zuha. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Zuha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
132
~ 1 in 2,596,624 Americans
Peak year
2003
10 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,066
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Zuha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zuha from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 46 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zuha 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 Zuha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zuha
The name Zuha is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "zuha" which means "brightness" or "splendor" in Arabic. This name has been in use in the Arab world for centuries, with its earliest known references dating back to the 7th century CE.
The name Zuha gained popularity during the early days of Islam, as it was considered a virtuous and meaningful name. In Islamic tradition, the name is often associated with the concept of enlightenment and spiritual radiance. It is believed to have been inspired by verses in the Quran that describe the beauty and brilliance of faith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zuha can be found in the writings of Al-Tabari, a renowned 9th-century Muslim scholar and historian. He mentions a woman named Zuha who lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and was known for her piety and devotion to the faith.
Throughout Islamic history, several notable figures have borne the name Zuha. One of the most prominent was Zuha al-Andalusiya (born around 1160 CE), a renowned poet and scholar from medieval Andalusia (modern-day Spain). Her works, which celebrated the beauty of nature and the human experience, are still studied and admired today.
Another notable individual was Zuha al-Khatib (1185-1249 CE), a Syrian scholar and jurist who made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence. Her legal rulings and opinions were highly respected during her time and influenced subsequent generations of Islamic scholars.
In more recent times, Zuha Mahmoud (1915-2001) was a celebrated Egyptian writer and feminist activist. Her novels and short stories explored themes of gender equality, social justice, and the struggles of women in Arab societies. She was a pioneering figure in the Arab literary world and received numerous accolades for her influential work.
Another notable figure was Zuha Olcay (1923-2015), a Turkish academic and activist who fought tirelessly for women's rights and education in Turkey. She was instrumental in establishing several women's organizations and promoting gender equality in her country.
Zuha Al-Ghamdi (born 1974) is a contemporary Saudi Arabian poet and writer whose works have garnered critical acclaim in the Arab world. Her poetry explores themes of identity, culture, and the complexities of modern life in the Middle East.
People
Zuha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zuha 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
Zuha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zuha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zuha 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 2,596,624 US residents.
Is Zuha a common name?
We classify Zuha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 134 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zuha most popular?
The single biggest year for Zuha was 2003, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zuha is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Zuha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zuha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zuha 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.
Is Zuha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zuha in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Zuha can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Zuha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.