Ilham
Unisex · il-HAHM · Arabic
Unisex
Ilham is a name of Arabic origin, meaning “inspiration”. In 2025 it ranked 2,076th for girls in the UK (14 babies) and 6,545th for girls in the US (17 babies).
What does Ilham mean?
Arabic
“inspiration”
In Islamic thought ilham is inspiration from God, distinguished from wahy, the revelation given to prophets.
- Say it
- il-HAHM
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ilham a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Ilham has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 14 girls and 8 boys in the UK and 17 girls and 11 boys in the US.
How popular is Ilham in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,076among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 14about 1 in 20,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 111% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 14 girls in the UK were named Ilham, making it the 2,076th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,734th. Its busiest year was 2005, with 16 girls. 8 boys were also named Ilham in 2025 (2,742nd for boys).
It has been given to more girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had more girls named Ilham than any year since 2011.
Half of all the girls named Ilham in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 18 girls in the UK were given Ilham or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,459, up from #2,076 for this spelling alone.
- Ilham 14
- Ilhaam 4
Girls were 93% of the babies named Ilham in the UK in 2002, and 64% in 2025.
Among girls in 2025, it was 2,006th in England and Wales.
Ilham in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #2,076 |
| 2024 | 13 | #2,175 |
| 2023 | 11 | #2,481 |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,870 |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,864 |
| 2020 | 3 | #5,734 |
| 2019 | 7 | #3,340 |
| 2018 | 8 | #3,068 |
| 2017 | 8 | #3,102 |
| 2016 | 7 | #3,389 |
| 2015 | 9 | #2,855 |
| 2014 | 8 | #3,031 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,719 |
| 2012 | 11 | #2,463 |
| 2011 | 14 | #2,032 |
| 2010 | 13 | #2,103 |
| 2009 | 15 | #1,848 |
| 2008 | 12 | #2,156 |
| 2007 | 12 | #2,083 |
| 2006 | 12 | #1,987 |
| 2005 | 16 | #1,521 |
| 2004 | 11 | #1,949 |
| 2003 | 9 | #2,109 |
| 2002 | 14 | #1,475 |
| 2001 | 9 | #1,974 |
| 2000 | 7 | #2,304 |
| 1999 | 7 | #2,295 |
| 1998 | 10 | #1,815 |
| 1997 | 3 | #3,991 |
How popular is Ilham in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #6,545among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 17about 1 in 95,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 42% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 17 girls in the US were named Ilham, making it the 6,545th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 9,541st. It first appears in the records in 1995. 11 boys were also named Ilham in 2025 (7,190th for boys).
2025 had the most girls named Ilham of any year since it first appeared, in 1995.
Half of all the girls named Ilham in the US since 1880 were born between 2006 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Ilham in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #6,545 |
| 2024 | 13 | #7,962 |
| 2023 | 14 | #7,635 |
| 2022 | 13 | #8,027 |
| 2021 | 15 | #7,245 |
| 2020 | 10 | #9,541 |
| 2019 | 8 | #11,350 |
| 2018 | 13 | #8,142 |
| 2017 | 7 | #12,709 |
| 2016 | 14 | #7,985 |
| 2015 | 11 | #9,476 |
| 2014 | 10 | #10,124 |
| 2013 | 7 | #13,145 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 12 | #9,146 |
| 2010 | 10 | #10,446 |
| 2009 | 10 | #10,675 |
| 2008 | 13 | #8,961 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 12 | #9,282 |
| 2005 | 13 | #8,325 |
| 2004 | 13 | #8,254 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 8 | #11,102 |
| 2001 | 9 | #10,095 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 9 | #9,472 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 6 | #12,065 |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 5 | #13,380 |
Names like Ilham
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Safa Zainab Hafsa Aaliyah Ayah Hiba Rahma Safaa Sumayyah Nusaybah Ruqayyah Safiya
Other spellings of Ilham
Ilhaam
Names related to Ilham
More Arabic names
Muhammad Layla Mohammed Lyla Mohammad Zara Amir Amira Fatima Ali Yahya Zayn Aisha Omar Zahra Hamza