Shah is a distinctive choice, ranked #976 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Shah in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2025
#976
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About the Name Shah
Shah is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 1797 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #1104 in 2022 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Shah is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Shah in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Shah
Jay Shah — Jay Amitbhai Shah is an Indian cricket administrator and businessman, and the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since December 2024.
Balen Shah — Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, is a Nepalese politician, structural engineer, and rapper who is the prime minister of Nepal since 2026.
Naseem Shah — Naseem Shah is a Pakistani international cricketer.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Shah
Unlikely. With around 31 UK babies named Shah per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Shah in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Shah is rising: up 338 places since 2020, to #976 in 2025. Its best recorded position was #427 in 1997.
Shah is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Shah include: Jay Shah, Balen Shah and Naseem Shah. Short summaries for each appear below.
Shah does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Shahs in the wild.
31
UK babies named Shah (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
< 1
In a school of 600
↑ 338 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Shah
Almost certainly the only Shah in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Shah
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Ubaid Shah, also spelled as Obaid Shah, is a Pakistani cricketer who is a right-arm medium fast bowler for Lahore Qalandars and the Pakistan under-19 cricket team.
Nader Shah Afshar was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as the emperor of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was assassinated during a rebellion.