Total births
436,193
Girls' name · since 1880
Sara
436,193 babies named Sara in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1981. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #187
- among girls today
- 436,193
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Sara is the #187 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 436,193 recorded since 1880.
Sara has 436,193 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #187 as of the latest data, more common than 99% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #187 among girls today
- 436,193 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 99% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sara is currently the #187 girls' name in America, more common than 99% of girls - 436,193 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #187
- among girls today
- 436,193
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
Sara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#187
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Sara was born in this single decade.
1981
Single peak year
11,359 babies were named Sara in 1981 - its busiest year on record.
How Sara compares
436,193 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Sara's all-time total is 1,142x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sara | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 436,193 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11,359 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sara's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 79% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 21%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 147 births recorded -- set against the 1981 peak of 11,359, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sara at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1981
Current rank
#187
Active since
1880
Sara popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1981)
- 11,359
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sara popularity over time - boys
1,248 total births recorded since 1908 (Sara as boys' name)
Sara by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Sara's strongest decade.
104,682 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Sara births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,127
1880s
2,127 births
- 1890s 3,119
1890s
3,119 births
- 1900s 4,210
1900s
4,210 births
- 1910s 15,409
1910s
15,409 births
- 1920s 21,101
1920s
21,101 births
- 1930s 18,261
1930s
18,261 births
- 1940s 20,275
1940s
20,275 births
- 1950s 20,491
1950s
20,491 births
- 1960s 23,044
1960s
23,044 births
- 1970s
1970s
56,958 births
- 1980s
1980s
104,682 births
- 1990s
1990s
72,170 births
- 2000s
2000s
44,056 births
- 2010s 20,732
2010s
20,732 births
- 2020s 9,558
2020s
9,558 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 104,682 births (24% of all-time use).
How Sara 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 Sara's total volume
Sara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sara by state
Where Sara concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 39,546 | 9.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 30,056 | 6.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 27,819 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 25,476 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 19,888 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 18,762 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 17,023 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 16,420 | 3.8% |
California share of Sara's total US births 9.1%
Even split
39,546 of 436,193 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sara appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sara? ▼
Sara has been given to 436,193 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #187 as of the latest data. 11,359 babies were born in 1981, its single highest year.
When was Sara most popular? ▼
Sara was most popular in the 1980s decade with 104,682 total births. The single peak year was 1981.
Where is Sara most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sara are California (39,546 births), New York (30,056 births), Texas (27,819 births).
How long has the name Sara been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Sara since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Sara? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sarah, Sarai, Sarina, Sariah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sara's data
- Sara's decade-level peak was the 1980s (104,682 total births); usage has since declined to 9,558 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Saras (39,546 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Sara
Nearby Names Like Sara
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sara
Sarah Girl
#93 1,098,498 births
Sarai Girl
#444 22,919 births
Sarina Girl
#1781 9,624 births
Sariah Girl
#1008 9,594 births
Sarahi Girl
#936 8,204 births
Compare Sara side by side: Sara vs Sarah Sara vs Sarai Sara vs Sarina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sara
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sara: #187 Girls' Name - 436,193 Births, Peak 1981." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sara. 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 Sara 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.