Given name & surname
Zainab
“a fragrant flowering plant”
Zainab is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “a fragrant flowering plant.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “a fragrant flowering plant.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Zainab through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,326
- 0 boys · 7,326 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 338 babies
- 2025
- 338
- #810 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 338 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 810 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 6.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (50). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,692 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Zainab’s family of names
Zainab has a related form in Zaynab. Zainab has a related form in Zaynab. Zainab has a related form in Zaenab.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Zainab
- Zaynab bint Jahshcousin and seventh wife of Muhammad (c. 590–641)592–642
- Zainab bint MuhammadEldest daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad599–629
- Zainab BanguraSierra Leonean politicianborn 1959
- Zainab SalbiIraqi American author, women's rights activistborn 1969
- Zainab al-GhazaliEgyptian activist (1923-2005)1917–2005
- Zainab AhmedNigerian politicianborn 1960
- Zainab BalogunNigerian-English actressborn 1989
- Zainab FasikiMoroccan comics artist, mechanical engineer and activist for women's rightsborn 1994
- Zainab Abdulkadir KureNigerian politicianborn 1959
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Zainab, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Mariam is a feminine given name. It is used in Lun Bawang.
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