Afzal
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- AF-zal
- Origin
- Arabic
Afzal is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “best, most excellent”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Afzal mean?
Arabic: Arabic afdal
“best, most excellent”
From the Arabic for 'most excellent', widely used by Pakistani, Indian and Afghan families.
Is Afzal a girl's or a boy's name?
Afzal is a boys' name.
How popular is Afzal in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1999, with 8 boys.
Half of all the boys named Afzal in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2008. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Afzal in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 4 | #4,063 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 7 | #2,736 |
| 2010 | 4 | #4,026 |
| 2009 | 4 | #3,909 |
| 2008 | 4 | #3,836 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 4 | #3,522 |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 4 | #3,147 |
| 2003 | 4 | #2,990 |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 4 | #2,714 |
| 2000 | 5 | #2,237 |
| 1999 | 8 | #1,582 |
| 1998 | 5 | #2,170 |
| 1997 | 6 | #1,853 |
| 1996 | 6 | #1,840 |
Names like Afzal
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Faisal, Saif, Hassan, Azeem, Asad, Aamir, Qasim, Fahad, Habib, Abdur, Haseeb, Zohaib
More Arabic names
Muhammad, Layla, Mohammed, Lyla, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amir, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Yahya, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Afzal: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/afzal, updated 20 October 2026.