Zaynab
Zaynab, and variant spellings, is an Arabic female given name meaning 'a flower in the desert'.
- Arabic
Meaning & Origin of Zaynab
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Zaynab, and variant spellings, is an Arabic female given name meaning 'a flower in the desert'.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Arabic
The Story of Zaynab
Zaynab first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1982, with 8 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2016: 146 births, good for #1,541 nationwide. About 40% of every Zaynab on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Zaynab ranks #1,501 for baby girls with 145 births, gradually rising (+12%). All told, over 3K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Zaynab
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Zaynab. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Zaynab
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Zainab Abbas (born 1988), Pakistani sports presenter
- Zaynab Abd al-Razzaq (born 1938), Moroccan lawyer and the first female judge in Morocco
- Zaynab al-Awadiya , medieval physician
- Zainab Ahmad (born 1980), American prosecutor
- Zainab Ahmed (born 1960), Nigerian politician
- Zeinab Badawi (born 1959), Sudanese-British television and radio journalist for the BBC
- Zaynab bint Al-Harith (died 629), Jewish woman who poisoned Muhammad
- Zaynab bint Ali (c. 626–682), daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the sister of Husayn ibn Ali, and granddaughter of Muhammad
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Zaynab
Phonetically similar names — useful when Zaynab is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Zaynab
What does the name Zaynab mean?
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How popular is Zaynab in 2026?
When was Zaynab most popular?
In which U.S. states is Zaynab most popular?
Is Zaynab a unisex name?
What names go well with Zaynab?
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About the name Zaynab
Zaynab is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1982 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Zaynab's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #1,501. Use the chart and map above to compare Zaynab's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2016 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "Z" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.