Total births
2,939
Girls' name · since 1978
Safa
2,939 babies named Safa in U.S. Social Security records since 1978, with the highest year being 2025. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1138
- among girls today
- 2,939
- born since 1978
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Safa is the #1138 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 2,939 recorded since 1978.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Safa has been recorded 2,939 times among girls since 1978, currently ranked #1138 nationally and more common than 94% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1978 to 2025.
- #1138 among girls today
- 2,939 born since 1978
- 2010s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Safa is currently the #1138 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 2,939 born since 1978, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1138
- among girls today
- 2,939
- born since 1978
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Safa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1138
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Safa was born in this single decade.
2025
Single peak year
249 babies were named Safa in 2025 - its busiest year on record.
How Safa compares
2,939 Top 18% higher than 82% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Safa's all-time total is 8x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Safa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,939 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 249 | 48 | 19,840 |
Safa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Safa splits its recorded history at 2003: 83% of all births land in the more recent half, 17% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1981 (6 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 249 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Safa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2025
Current rank
#1,138
Active since
1978
Safa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1978–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 249
- Annual births at peak, across 48 years of records
Safa popularity over time - boys
6 total births recorded since 2023 (Safa as boys' name)
Safa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Safa's strongest decade.
1,006 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Safa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 8
1970s
8 births
- 1980s 71
1980s
71 births
- 1990s 243
1990s
243 births
- 2000s
2000s
627 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,006 births
- 2020s
2020s
984 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,006 births (34% of all-time use).
How Safa compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Safa's total volume
Safa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Safa by state
Where Safa concentrates geographically, total births since 1978
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 340 | 11.6% |
| #2 | California | | 330 | 11.2% |
| #3 | Minnesota | | 255 | 8.7% |
| #4 | Texas | | 206 | 7.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 198 | 6.7% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 132 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 103 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 75 | 2.6% |
New York share of Safa's total US births 11.6%
Even split
340 of 2,939 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Safa appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Safa? ▼
2,939 babies have been named Safa since 1978. It currently ranks #1138 among girls. The peak year was 2025 with 249 births.
When was Safa most popular? ▼
Safa was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,006 total births. The single peak year was 2025.
Where is Safa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Safa are New York (340 births), California (330 births), Minnesota (255 births).
How long has the name Safa been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Safa since 1978 -- 48 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Safa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Safiya, Safia, Safiyah, Safiyyah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Safa's data
- Safa's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,006 total births) through the 2020s (984) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Safas (340 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Safa
Nearby Names Like Safa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Safa
Safiya Girl
#1393 2,831 births
Safia Girl
#3063 1,616 births
Safiyah Girl
#4329 799 births
Safiyyah Girl
#4239 768 births
Saffron Girl
#5490 726 births
Compare Safa side by side: Safa vs Safiya Safa vs Safia Safa vs Safiyah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Safa
Desiree #1137
83,563 births · Peak 1983
Dariana #1139
4,338 births · Peak 2000
Ann #1136
470,261 births · Peak 1957
Princess #1140
15,975 births · Peak 2006
Ida #1135
187,929 births · Peak 1918
Brenda #1141
608,478 births · Peak 1957
Bexley #1134
3,239 births · Peak 2021
Erika #1142
125,664 births · Peak 1990
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1978–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Safa: #1138 Girls' Name - 2,939 Births, Peak 2025." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/safa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Safa draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.