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.
- #83 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #198 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 436,193
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Sara is the #198 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 #198 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.
- #83 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #198 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 436,193 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sara ranks #83 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #198 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 436,193 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #83 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #198 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 436,193
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Sara's 436,193 recorded births place it above 99.88% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Sara compares
436,193 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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 1,160x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sara | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 436,193 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11,359 | 21 | 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 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
1980s is the heaviest window (104,682 births, 24% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Sara sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sara most popular? ▼
Where is Sara most popular? ▼
How long has the name Sara been used? ▼
What names are similar to Sara? ▼
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
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
Compare Sara side by side: Sara vs Sarah Sara vs Sarai Sara vs Sarina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sara
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sara: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1981)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.