Total births
3,603
Unisex name · since 1998
Sailor
3,603 babies named Sailor in U.S. Social Security records since 1998, with the highest year being 2016. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1347
- among girls today
- 3,603
- born since 1998
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
3,603 babies have been named Sailor since 1998, making it today's #1347 unisex name.
Sailor has 3,603 recorded births among girls since 1998, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1347 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1998 to 2025.
- #1347 among girls today
- 3,603 born since 1998
- 2010s peak decade
- 92% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sailor is currently the #1347 unisex name in America, more common than 92% of girls - 3,603 born since 1998, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1347
- among girls today
- 3,603
- born since 1998
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Sailor vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1347
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 92% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
48% of everyone ever named Sailor was born in this single decade.
2016
Single peak year
245 babies were named Sailor in 2016 - its busiest year on record.
How Sailor compares
3,603 Top 16% higher than 84% 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
Sailor's all-time total is 9x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sailor | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,603 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 245 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sailor's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sailor's full recorded timeline at 2012, 76% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 24% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1998, with just 10 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2016 peak of 245 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sailor at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2016
Current rank
#1,347
Active since
1998
Sailor popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1998–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 245
- Annual births at peak, across 28 years of records
Sailor popularity over time - boys
687 total births recorded since 1997 (Sailor as boys' name)
Sailor by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Sailor's strongest decade.
1,730 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 48% of all-time use.
Sailor births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s 59
1990s
59 births
- 2000s 588
2000s
588 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,730 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,226 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,730 births (48% of all-time use).
How Sailor 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 Sailor's total volume
Sailor vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sailor by state
Where Sailor concentrates geographically, total births since 1998
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 348 | 9.7% |
| #2 | California | | 325 | 9.0% |
| #3 | Florida | | 275 | 7.6% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 149 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 146 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Washington | | 97 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Utah | | 89 | 2.5% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 64 | 1.8% |
Texas share of Sailor's total US births 9.7%
Even split
348 of 3,603 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 33 reporting states.
Sailor appears in 33 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sailor? ▼
Since 1998, Social Security records show 3,603 babies named Sailor. Today it holds rank #1347 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2016, with 245 births.
When was Sailor most popular? ▼
Sailor was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,730 total births. The single peak year was 2016.
Where is Sailor most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sailor are Texas (348 births), California (325 births), Florida (275 births).
Is Sailor a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Sailor is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 3,603 births, and as a boy's name it has 687 births.
How long has the name Sailor been used? ▼
Records for Sailor go back to 1998, giving 28 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Sailor? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Saige, Saira, Saida, Saisha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sailor's data
- Sailor's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,730 total births) through the 2020s (1,226) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Sailors (348 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Sailor
Nearby Names Like Sailor
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sailor
Saige Girl
#448 12,119 births
Saira Girl
#2020 3,645 births
Saida Girl
#4695 1,264 births
Saisha Girl
#3095 1,051 births
Saima Girl
#15361 669 births
Compare Sailor side by side: Sailor vs Saige Sailor vs Saira Sailor vs Saida
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sailor
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, 1998–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sailor: #1347 Unisex Name - 3,603 Births, Peak 2016." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sailor. 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 Sailor 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.