Hanifa
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- ha-NEE-fa
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,076 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #6,115 for girls
Hanifa is a girls' name of Arabic origin, meaning “true believer, upright”. In 2025 it ranked 2,076th for girls in the UK (14 babies) and 6,115th for girls in the US (19 babies).
What does Hanifa mean?
Arabic: feminine of Hanif
“true believer, upright”
The Qur'an calls Abraham a hanif, one who turned to the pure worship of one God.
Is Hanifa a girl's or a boy's name?
Hanifa is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 14 girls in the UK and 19 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Hanifa in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,076among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 14about 1 in 20,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 11% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 14 girls in the UK were named Hanifa, making it the 2,076th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,268th. Its busiest year was 2011, with 33 girls.
Half of all the girls named Hanifa in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 27 girls in the UK were given Hanifa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,110, up from #2,076 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 2,006th in England and Wales.
Hanifa in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #2,076 |
| 2024 | 9 | #2,832 |
| 2023 | 17 | #1,798 |
| 2022 | 16 | #1,873 |
| 2021 | 15 | #1,981 |
| 2020 | 12 | #2,268 |
| 2019 | 11 | #2,420 |
| 2018 | 22 | #1,524 |
| 2017 | 18 | #1,763 |
| 2016 | 19 | #1,724 |
| 2015 | 17 | #1,813 |
| 2014 | 15 | #1,976 |
| 2013 | 21 | #1,559 |
| 2012 | 20 | #1,615 |
| 2011 | 33 | #1,117 |
| 2010 | 32 | #1,112 |
| 2009 | 20 | #1,507 |
| 2008 | 31 | #1,064 |
| 2007 | 27 | #1,138 |
| 2006 | 19 | #1,418 |
| 2005 | 25 | #1,077 |
| 2004 | 23 | #1,112 |
| 2003 | 17 | #1,369 |
| 2002 | 19 | #1,186 |
| 2001 | 17 | #1,261 |
| 2000 | 19 | #1,137 |
| 1999 | 17 | #1,243 |
| 1998 | 12 | #1,585 |
| 1997 | 24 | #969 |
| 1996 | 14 | #1,381 |
How popular is Hanifa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #6,115among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 19about 1 in 85,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 21% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 19 girls in the US were named Hanifa, making it the 6,115th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,079th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 28 girls. It first appears in the records in 1980.
Half of all the girls named Hanifa in the US since 1880 were born between 2011 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
Hanifa in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | #6,115 |
| 2024 | 28 | #4,770 |
| 2023 | 21 | #5,747 |
| 2022 | 21 | #5,790 |
| 2021 | 11 | #8,973 |
| 2020 | 19 | #6,079 |
| 2019 | 22 | #5,608 |
| 2018 | 15 | #7,405 |
| 2017 | 15 | #7,438 |
| 2016 | 9 | #10,855 |
| 2015 | 9 | #10,861 |
| 2014 | 18 | #6,711 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 10 | #10,424 |
| 2011 | 14 | #8,192 |
| 2010 | 10 | #10,446 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 12 | #9,472 |
| 2007 | 8 | #12,671 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 6 | #14,495 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 5 | #15,426 |
| 2001 | 5 | #15,345 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 5 | #12,952 |
| 1989 | 5 | #12,356 |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 6 | #9,093 |
Names like Hanifa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Safa Hafsa Abeeha Humaira Hiba Habiba Halima Rahma Huda Nusaybah Rumaysa Aaliyah
Other spellings of Hanifa
Names related to Hanifa
More Arabic names
Muhammad Layla Mohammed Lyla Mohammad Zara Amir Amira Fatima Ali Yahya Zayn Aisha Omar Zahra Hamza
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Hanifa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/hanifa, updated 20 October 2026.