Fun Facts About the Name Zeinab
- More than 1 thousand babies named Zeinab: U.S. records list 1,292 babies given the name Zeinab from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zeinab Mean?
Zeinab is a variant spelling of the Arabic female name Zaynab (زينب). It is traditionally understood to mean "beautiful" or "adorned." The name is connected with the Arabic root z-y-n (ز ي ن), which carries the sense of adornment, decoration, and beauty, as in zayn (زَيْن, "adornment") and zīna (زِينَة, "decoration"). The exact formation of Zaynab is not completely certain; it is not simply the noun zayn with a regular suffix, and some Arabic lexicographers treat it as a proper name whose precise derivation is unclear. A common traditional explanation, "fragrant flower," is a customary gloss rather than a literal translation of the root. The spellings Zeinab, Zainab, Zaynab, and Zeynab represent the same Arabic name in different transliteration systems.
Zeinab Name History & Origins
The name Zaynab was in use in Arabia before the rise of Islam. Early bearers include Zaynab bint Muhammad, a daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, and Zaynab bint Jahsh, who became one of his wives; both are remembered in early Islamic historical and hadith literature. In Shia Islam, Zaynab bint Ali, daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah, is a central figure associated with the events at Karbala in 680 CE, and her name is especially common among Shia Muslims.
As Islam spread, the name was adopted in Arabic-speaking lands and in Persian, Turkish, and South Asian Muslim societies. It appears as Zeynep in Turkish, Zainab in Urdu and South Asian Muslim communities, and Zeynab or Zeinab in Persian. The spelling Zeinab is one of several English transliterations used in the West. The name's history is tied to its use in these languages and communities rather than to a single literary source.
How Popular is the Name Zeinab?
Zeinab has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1999. Its best rank was #2,607 in 1999.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,096 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #5,131 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2023 | #5,741 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 2022 | #4,902 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 2021 | #5,947 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2020 | #5,160 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2019 | #5,981 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2018 | #5,611 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2017 | #5,328 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2016 | #4,841 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2015 | #4,722 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2014 | #4,454 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2013 | #3,643 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 2012 | #5,888 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2011 | #4,680 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2010 | #4,604 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2009 | #3,868 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2008 | #4,175 | 38 | 0.0020% |
| 2007 | #3,981 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 2006 | #4,262 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2005 | #3,727 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2004 | #4,386 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2003 | #3,130 | 48 | 0.0026% |
| 2002 | #3,102 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 2001 | #2,921 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 2000 | #3,069 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 1999 | #2,607 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 1998 | #3,829 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1997 | #2,976 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 1996 | #4,053 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1995 | #3,285 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1994 | #2,876 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 1993 | #3,772 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1992 | #3,417 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1991 | #3,720 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1990 | #4,692 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1989 | #4,669 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1988 | #5,597 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #6,785 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #7,746 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #10,676 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #5,538 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #6,211 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #7,467 | 9 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Zeinab Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have aspiration and inspiration, hope and guidance. Since you are intuitive and perceptive and you understand human nature. You have the power to achieve. Diplomacy and discretion make you a good mediator. You are inspired, introspective, and have a good understanding of the human heart. You can have the ability to commercialize your artistic talents successfully. You are often a mystery to others and to yourself. You are always reaching for something higher, without exactly knowing what that "higher" is. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Zeinab's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zeinab's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.