Aisha: meaning and UK use

What does Aisha mean?

The Arabic name is connected with being alive. Ayesha and Aysha are alternative English renderings; pronunciation can differ between families and languages.

Language or name family covered

Arabic

Meaning or derivation

Living or alive

Our browsing group

girl; international, classic

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Aisha

Pronunciation and related forms

eye-EE-shuh (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Ayesha, Aysha. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Aisha?

In 2025, 436 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Aisha, making it the 106th most popular girls’ name. That is up 3 places on 2024, when it ranked 109th. It has held a similar position for a decade (88th in 2015). Its best year in the ONS series was 2014, at 76th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

106th

2025 registrations

436

Best rank in this series

76th (2014)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Aisha: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	106	436
2024	109	438
2023	116	422
2022	107	469
2021	121	414
2020	100	508
2019	102	501
2018	92	568
2017	90	580
2016	87	617
2015	88	610
2014	76	702
2013	94	584
2012	87	642
2011	95	613
2010	96	614
2009	101	541
2008	105	540
2007	102	521
2006	111	477
2005	107	475
2004	122	439
2003	128	384
2002	115	397
2001	116	401
2000	125	376
1999	135	350
1998	131	356
1997	135	351
1996	139	328

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 14,654. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Aisha

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Laylainternational, classic · Night
• Isabellaclassic, international · A form of Isabel
• Niamhinternational, classic · Bright
• Sofiainternational, classic · A form of Sophia
• Amarainternational · Grace
• Ameliaclassic · A variant of Amalia

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Aisha, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.