Shah
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- SHAH
- Origin
- Persian
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,055 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #6,799 for boys
Shah is a name of Persian origin, meaning “king”. In 2025 it ranked 1,055th for boys in the UK (31 babies) and 6,799th for boys in the US (12 babies).
What does Shah mean?
Persian
“king”
Persian for king, the title of the rulers of Iran; it is also a common surname and title in South Asia.
Is Shah a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Shah has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 5 girls and 31 boys in the UK and 12 boys in the US.
How popular is Shah in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,055among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 31about 1 in 9,700 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 36% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 31 boys in the UK were named Shah, making it the 1,055th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,356th. Its busiest year was 2005, with 55 boys. 5 girls were also named Shah in 2025 (4,276th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Shah in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 35 boys in the UK were given Shah or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #861, up from #1,055 for this spelling alone.
- Shah 31
- Sha 4
In 2025, 14% of the babies named Shah in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 976th in England and Wales.
Shah in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31 | #1,055 |
| 2024 | 41 | #856 |
| 2023 | 33 | #1,008 |
| 2022 | 26 | #1,157 |
| 2021 | 28 | #1,110 |
| 2020 | 20 | #1,356 |
| 2019 | 28 | #1,082 |
| 2018 | 29 | #1,067 |
| 2017 | 31 | #1,045 |
| 2016 | 28 | #1,109 |
| 2015 | 35 | #946 |
| 2014 | 22 | #1,260 |
| 2013 | 34 | #938 |
| 2012 | 28 | #1,070 |
| 2011 | 44 | #793 |
| 2010 | 36 | #883 |
| 2009 | 28 | #1,032 |
| 2008 | 43 | #751 |
| 2007 | 39 | #779 |
| 2006 | 47 | #666 |
| 2005 | 55 | #544 |
| 2004 | 51 | #558 |
| 2003 | 42 | #603 |
| 2002 | 46 | #522 |
| 2001 | 44 | #519 |
| 2000 | 38 | #570 |
| 1999 | 49 | #486 |
| 1998 | 31 | #637 |
| 1997 | 47 | #466 |
| 1996 | 42 | #479 |
How popular is Shah in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #6,799among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 12about 1 in 140,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 12 boys in the US were named Shah, making it the 6,799th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,292nd. Its busiest year was 2009, with 22 boys. It first appears in the records in 1972.
Half of all the boys named Shah in the US since 1880 were born between 1996 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
Shah in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #6,799 |
| 2024 | 15 | #5,899 |
| 2023 | 14 | #6,215 |
| 2022 | 11 | #7,256 |
| 2021 | 14 | #6,027 |
| 2020 | 13 | #6,292 |
| 2019 | 7 | #9,750 |
| 2018 | 11 | #7,132 |
| 2017 | 9 | #8,136 |
| 2016 | 10 | #7,600 |
| 2015 | 11 | #7,061 |
| 2014 | 11 | #7,043 |
| 2013 | 16 | #5,400 |
| 2012 | 14 | #5,995 |
| 2011 | 11 | #7,002 |
| 2010 | 8 | #8,797 |
| 2009 | 22 | #4,427 |
| 2008 | 5 | #12,546 |
| 2007 | 11 | #7,090 |
| 2006 | 6 | #10,655 |
| 2005 | 12 | #6,220 |
| 2004 | 11 | #6,514 |
| 2003 | 6 | #9,574 |
| 2002 | 13 | #5,388 |
| 2001 | 12 | #5,660 |
| 2000 | 8 | #7,409 |
| 1999 | 10 | #6,036 |
| 1998 | 7 | #7,553 |
| 1997 | 12 | #4,954 |
| 1996 | 12 | #4,871 |
| 1995 | 10 | #5,495 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 9 | #5,764 |
| 1992 | 8 | #6,120 |
| 1991 | 6 | #7,263 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
| 1989 | 6 | #6,934 |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 6 | #5,920 |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 6 | #5,523 |
| 1979 | 9 | #4,066 |
| 1978 | 7 | #4,552 |
| 1977 | 10 | #3,604 |
| 1976 | 9 | #3,722 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 5 | #4,983 |
Names like Shah
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Abdullah Hamza Saif Muhammad Zayd Musa Ahmed Saad Umar Mustafa Ibrahim Fahad
Other spellings of Shah
Names related to Shah
More Persian names
Jasper Esther Jasmine Casper Cyrus Yasmin Darius Zorawar Kiyan Rumi Yasmine Kasper Mahnoor Dario Arian Arman
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, “Shah: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/shah, updated 20 October 2026.