Sarah
Sarah was given to 2,710 girls in 2025, #90 among girls’ names; 1,101,838 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 886,000 Americans named Sarah and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (80% of everyone recorded); the median is 38 years old and half are between 28 and 46.
Sarah is the #7 most common first name among living American women and girls, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Sarah by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Sarah mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Sarah is “a female given name from Hebrew.” Its etymology gives the senses “lady, princess” (שָׂרָה) and “masters, princes” (literally).
Also “a female given name from Arabic, ultimately from the same source.”
From Biblical Hebrew שָׂרָה (śārâ, “lady, princess”), from the Biblical figure originally named Sarai (שָׂרָי (śārāy, literally “masters, princes”)).
/ˈsɛɚ.ə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Sarah?
#90 among girls’ names, 2025
Sarah fell from #57 in 2015 to #90 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 2.5 to 1.7 per 1,000.
28,608 babies in 1982, the peak
Sarah peaked in 1982, when 28,608 babies were given it (28,483 girls, #4 among girls’ names). The 2,710 births of 2025 are 9% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,710 | #90 | 1.7 |
| 2024 | 2,719 | #93 | 1.7 |
| 2023 | 2,771 | #91 | 1.7 |
| 2022 | 2,809 | #95 | 1.7 |
| 2021 | 2,865 | #91 | 1.7 |
| 2020 | 3,070 | #86 | 1.9 |
| 2019 | 3,325 | #81 | 2.0 |
| 2018 | 3,781 | #66 | 2.2 |
| 2017 | 4,036 | #62 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | 4,429 | #57 | 2.5 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4,535 | #57 | 2.5 |
| 2014 | 4,717 | #50 | 2.6 |
| 2013 | 4,715 | #48 | 2.7 |
| 2012 | 5,207 | #42 | 3.0 |
| 2011 | 5,571 | #39 | 3.2 |
| 2010 | 6,341 | #26 | 3.6 |
| 2009 | 7,794 | #21 | 4.2 |
| 2008 | 9,055 | #20 | 4.8 |
| 2007 | 10,014 | #18 | 5.2 |
| 2006 | 11,161 | #15 | 5.9 |
| 2005 | 11,555 | #15 | 6.3 |
| 2004 | 12,758 | #12 | 6.9 |
| 2003 | 13,785 | #11 | 7.5 |
| 2002 | 14,779 | #8 | 8.2 |
| 2001 | 15,929 | #6 | 8.8 |
| 2000 | 17,715 | #5 | 9.8 |
| 1999 | 19,119 | #4 | 10.8 |
| 1998 | 19,898 | #4 | 11.3 |
| 1997 | 20,716 | #4 | 11.9 |
| 1996 | 21,048 | #4 | 12.0 |
| 1995 | 21,395 | #5 | 12.2 |
| 1994 | 22,299 | #5 | 12.5 |
| 1993 | 24,257 | #3 | 13.4 |
| 1992 | 24,634 | #5 | 13.4 |
| 1991 | 25,233 | #6 | 13.5 |
| 1990 | 25,824 | #6 | 13.6 |
| 1989 | 27,797 | #5 | 15.1 |
| 1988 | 28,374 | #4 | 15.9 |
| 1987 | 27,894 | #5 | 16.0 |
| 1986 | 28,163 | #5 | 16.4 |
| 1985 | 24,879 | #5 | 14.5 |
| 1984 | 25,887 | #5 | 15.4 |
| 1983 | 27,228 | #5 | 16.3 |
| 1982 | 28,483 | #4 | 16.8 |
| 1981 | 28,175 | #4 | 16.9 |
| 1980 | 25,757 | #5 | 15.5 |
| 1979 | 21,015 | #6 | 13.1 |
| 1978 | 19,976 | #8 | 13.0 |
| 1977 | 18,096 | #11 | 11.8 |
| 1976 | 13,993 | #15 | 9.6 |
| 1975 | 11,170 | #17 | 7.7 |
| 1974 | 9,788 | #20 | 6.7 |
| 1973 | 7,214 | #35 | 4.9 |
| 1972 | 6,114 | #49 | 4.0 |
| 1971 | 5,843 | #58 | 3.5 |
| 1970 | 5,614 | #65 | 3.2 |
| 1969 | 5,078 | #72 | 3.0 |
| 1968 | 4,489 | #78 | 2.7 |
| 1967 | 4,139 | #83 | 2.5 |
| 1966 | 4,034 | #85 | 2.4 |
| 1965 | 4,062 | #92 | 2.3 |
| 1964 | 4,583 | #92 | 2.4 |
| 1963 | 4,571 | #94 | 2.4 |
| 1962 | 4,548 | #98 | 2.3 |
| 1961 | 4,204 | #113 | 2.1 |
| 1960 | 4,205 | #116 | 2.1 |
| 1959 | 3,869 | #119 | 1.9 |
| 1958 | 3,913 | #117 | 1.9 |
| 1957 | 3,987 | #116 | 1.9 |
| 1956 | 3,875 | #115 | 1.9 |
| 1955 | 3,979 | #108 | 2.0 |
| 1954 | 4,040 | #103 | 2.1 |
| 1953 | 4,086 | #93 | 2.2 |
| 1952 | 4,046 | #93 | 2.2 |
| 1951 | 4,028 | #91 | 2.2 |
| 1950 | 4,143 | #88 | 2.4 |
| 1949 | 4,295 | #84 | 2.5 |
| 1948 | 4,159 | #85 | 2.4 |
| 1947 | 4,223 | #93 | 2.4 |
| 1946 | 3,910 | #92 | 2.5 |
| 1945 | 3,592 | #76 | 2.7 |
| 1944 | 3,857 | #67 | 2.9 |
| 1943 | 3,990 | #71 | 2.9 |
| 1942 | 4,100 | #67 | 3.0 |
| 1941 | 3,982 | #60 | 3.3 |
| 1940 | 3,869 | #60 | 3.4 |
| 1939 | 3,671 | #68 | 3.3 |
| 1938 | 3,749 | #67 | 3.4 |
| 1937 | 3,588 | #65 | 3.4 |
| 1936 | 3,515 | #63 | 3.4 |
| 1935 | 3,615 | #61 | 3.4 |
| 1934 | 3,601 | #67 | 3.4 |
| 1933 | 3,621 | #58 | 3.6 |
| 1932 | 3,597 | #67 | 3.4 |
| 1931 | 3,636 | #71 | 3.4 |
| 1930 | 3,920 | #70 | 3.5 |
| 1929 | 3,816 | #68 | 3.4 |
| 1928 | 4,244 | #64 | 3.7 |
| 1927 | 4,555 | #61 | 3.8 |
| 1926 | 4,424 | #63 | 3.7 |
| 1925 | 4,685 | #58 | 3.8 |
| 1924 | 5,045 | #54 | 4.0 |
| 1923 | 4,963 | #54 | 4.1 |
| 1922 | 4,982 | #51 | 4.1 |
| 1921 | 5,024 | #54 | 4.1 |
| 1920 | 5,031 | #50 | 4.2 |
| 1919 | 5,022 | #46 | 4.4 |
| 1918 | 4,969 | #52 | 4.3 |
| 1917 | 4,766 | #52 | 4.4 |
| 1916 | 4,798 | #52 | 4.6 |
| 1915 | 4,415 | #51 | 4.5 |
| 1914 | 3,679 | #47 | 4.8 |
| 1913 | 3,178 | #43 | 5.1 |
| 1912 | 2,919 | #41 | 5.2 |
| 1911 | 2,201 | #42 | 5.3 |
| 1910 | 2,173 | #40 | 5.5 |
| 1909 | 1,845 | #49 | 5.3 |
| 1908 | 1,814 | #48 | 5.4 |
| 1907 | 1,799 | #48 | 5.6 |
| 1906 | 1,697 | #44 | 5.7 |
| 1905 | 1,762 | #41 | 6.0 |
| 1904 | 1,594 | #43 | 5.8 |
| 1903 | 1,553 | #41 | 5.9 |
| 1902 | 1,710 | #39 | 6.5 |
| 1901 | 1,514 | #40 | 6.3 |
| 1900 | 2,054 | #37 | 6.9 |
| 1899 | 1,587 | #38 | 6.8 |
| 1898 | 1,800 | #37 | 7.0 |
| 1897 | 1,713 | #34 | 7.3 |
| 1896 | 1,691 | #35 | 7.1 |
| 1895 | 1,777 | #33 | 7.6 |
| 1894 | 1,701 | #34 | 7.6 |
| 1893 | 1,632 | #33 | 7.7 |
| 1892 | 1,798 | #28 | 8.5 |
| 1891 | 1,669 | #24 | 9.0 |
| 1890 | 1,786 | #21 | 9.4 |
| 1889 | 1,730 | #20 | 9.7 |
| 1888 | 1,755 | #20 | 9.8 |
| 1887 | 1,436 | #20 | 9.8 |
| 1886 | 1,569 | #16 | 10.9 |
| 1885 | 1,424 | #18 | 10.7 |
| 1884 | 1,518 | #14 | 11.8 |
| 1883 | 1,359 | #12 | 12.1 |
| 1882 | 1,410 | #12 | 13.1 |
| 1881 | 1,226 | #12 | 13.3 |
| 1880 | 1,288 | #10 | 14.2 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Sarah a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Sarah has been given almost only to girls: 3,340 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Sarah: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Sarah, and how old are they?
886,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 80% of the 1,101,838 Americans ever recorded as Sarah. The median Sarah alive today is 38 years old; half are between 28 and 46.
The 2020 Census counted 874,128 people named Sarah (873,199 women and girls, 929 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 896,337 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 20,200 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 61,200 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 157,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 401,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 199,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 46,200 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Sarah born?
The states with the most babies named Sarah are California, New York and Texas, with 22% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 91,000 | #122 | 0.8× |
| New York | 67,515 | #17 | 0.9× |
| Texas | 67,452 | #103 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 51,276 | #87 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 49,745 | #136 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 44,367 | #115 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 39,633 | #187 | 1.0× |
| Florida | 38,706 | #65 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 38,638 | #115 | 1.3× |
| Georgia | 35,801 | #94 | 1.2× |
Where Sarah is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Sarah is most over-represented in South Carolina: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Sarah with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 1,611,077 babies since 1880, Sarah is the most given (68% of them). In 2025 it was given to 2,710 of their 7,548 babies (36%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Sarah
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Sarah and names like it
- Compare Sarah and SaraBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1980sSarah peaked in 1982.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Sarah since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Sarah: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1982The year the most babies were named Sarah.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Sarah alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with SMost given first.