Namesake.

Zaynab

زَيْنَب
Girl Arabic /ZAY-nab/ #1510 in 2023

Zaynab is a girl name of Arabic origin.

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Meaning of Zaynab

"Fragrant flowering plant; beauty." Name of several women central to early Islam — a daughter of the Prophet ﷺ, one of his wives, and his granddaughter Zaynab bint Ali, who gave the famous sermon in Kufa after Karbala.

Arabic root: z-y-n — (ز-ي-ن, to adorn) — possibly a fragrant flowering plant

Regional variants

"Zaynab" is classical Arabic; "Zainab" is the South Asian spelling (Pakistani/Indian); "Zeynep" is Turkish — all name the same figure. Deeply honored in Shia Muslim families for Zaynab bint Ali.

Popularity of Zaynab

Popularity, 1982–2023
143 births in 2023
1982 2023

2,226 U.S. births recorded from 1982–2023.

Peak year
2016
146 babies
First recorded
1982
41 years of history
Recent trend
Steady
Last 5 yrs vs. prior 5

Variants & nicknames

ZainabZeinabZeynep
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Famous people named Zaynab

  • Zaynab bint Ali
  • Zeynep Tufekci (sociologist)

Similar names

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meaning and cultural context drawn from classical sources: Lisan al-Arab, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Qur'an and Sunnah. If you spot an error, please let us know.