Total births
1,098,498
Girls' name · since 1880
Sarah
1,098,498 babies named Sarah in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1982. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #93
- among girls today
- 1,098,498
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99.5%
- more common than other girls
1,098,498 babies have been named Sarah since 1880, making it today's #93 girls' name.
Sarah has 1,098,498 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #93 as of the latest data, more common than 99.5% 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.
- #93 among girls today
- 1,098,498 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 99.5% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sarah is currently the #93 girls' name in America, more common than 99.5% of girls - 1,098,498 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #93
- among girls today
- 1,098,498
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99.5%
- more common than other girls
Sarah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#93
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.5% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Sarah was born in this single decade.
1982
Single peak year
28,483 babies were named Sarah in 1982 - its busiest year on record.
How Sarah compares
1,098,498 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
Sarah's all-time total is 2,876x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sarah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,098,498 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 28,483 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sarah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sarah splits its recorded history at 1953: 80% of all births land in the more recent half, 20% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (1,226 births) -- compare that against the 1982 peak of 28,483 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sarah at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
1982
Current rank
#93
Active since
1880
Sarah popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 28,483
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sarah popularity over time - boys
3,340 total births recorded since 1883 (Sarah as boys' name)
Sarah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Sarah's strongest decade.
272,637 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Sarah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 14,715
1880s
14,715 births
- 1890s 17,154
1890s
17,154 births
- 1900s 17,342
1900s
17,342 births
- 1910s 38,120
1910s
38,120 births
- 1920s 46,769
1920s
46,769 births
- 1930s 36,513
1930s
36,513 births
- 1940s 39,977
1940s
39,977 births
- 1950s 39,966
1950s
39,966 births
- 1960s 43,913
1960s
43,913 births
- 1970s
1970s
118,823 births
- 1980s
1980s
272,637 births
- 1990s
1990s
224,423 births
- 2000s
2000s
124,545 births
- 2010s 46,657
2010s
46,657 births
- 2020s 16,944
2020s
16,944 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 272,637 births (25% of all-time use).
How Sarah 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 Sarah's total volume
Sarah vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sarah by state
Where Sarah concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 90,770 | 8.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 67,417 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 67,378 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 51,225 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 49,700 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 44,347 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 39,603 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 38,668 | 3.5% |
California share of Sarah's total US births 8.3%
Even split
90,770 of 1,098,498 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sarah appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sarah? ▼
Sarah has been given to 1,098,498 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #93 as of the latest data. 28,483 babies were born in 1982, its single highest year.
When was Sarah most popular? ▼
Sarah was most popular in the 1980s decade with 272,637 total births. The single peak year was 1982.
Where is Sarah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sarah are California (90,770 births), New York (67,417 births), Texas (67,378 births).
How long has the name Sarah been used? ▼
Sarah has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Sarah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sara, Sarai, Sarina, Sariah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sarah's data
- Sarah's decade-level peak was the 1980s (272,637 total births); usage has since declined to 16,944 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Sarahs (90,770 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 Sarah
Nearby Names Like Sarah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sarah
Sara Girl
#187 436,193 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 Sarah side by side: Sarah vs Sara Sarah vs Sarai Sarah vs Sarina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sarah
Caroline #92
250,410 births · Peak 2000
Anna #94
914,859 births · Peak 1918
Melody #91
114,914 births · Peak 2025
Aaliyah #95
109,971 births · Peak 2012
Athena #90
53,118 births · Peak 2022
Quinn #96
52,503 births · Peak 2016
Kennedy #89
93,663 births · Peak 2015
Lydia #97
187,039 births · Peak 2014
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. "Sarah: #93 Girls' Name - 1,098,498 Births, Peak 1982." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sarah. 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 Sarah 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.