Total births
100,597
Girls' name · since 1940
Sierra
Since 1940, U.S. Social Security records show 100,597 babies named Sierra, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #594
- among girls today
- 100,597
- born since 1940
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Sierra currently ranks #594 among girls' names in America, with 100,597 babies recorded since 1940.
Sierra has 100,597 recorded births among girls since 1940, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #594 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1940 to 2025.
- #594 among girls today
- 100,597 born since 1940
- 1990s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sierra is currently the #594 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 100,597 born since 1940, peaking in the 1990s.
- #594
- among girls today
- 100,597
- born since 1940
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Sierra vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#594
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
43% of everyone ever named Sierra was born in this single decade.
1998
Single peak year
5,841 babies were named Sierra in 1998 - its busiest year on record.
How Sierra compares
100,597 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Sierra's all-time total is 263x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sierra | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 100,597 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,841 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sierra's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sierra's full recorded timeline at 1985, 98% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 2% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1947, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 5,841 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sierra at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1998
Current rank
#594
Active since
1940
Sierra popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1940–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 5,841
- Annual births at peak, across 86 years of records
Sierra popularity over time - boys
269 total births recorded since 1975 (Sierra as boys' name)
Sierra by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Sierra's strongest decade.
43,638 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Sierra births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 144
1940s
144 births
- 1950s 54
1950s
54 births
- 1960s 81
1960s
81 births
- 1970s 787
1970s
787 births
- 1980s 8,846
1980s
8,846 births
- 1990s
1990s
43,638 births
- 2000s
2000s
34,534 births
- 2010s 9,272
2010s
9,272 births
- 2020s 3,241
2020s
3,241 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 43,638 births (43% of all-time use).
How Sierra 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 Sierra's total volume
Sierra vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sierra by state
Where Sierra concentrates geographically, total births since 1940
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 13,340 | 13.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 6,596 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Florida | | 4,936 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 4,723 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 4,314 | 4.3% |
| #6 | New York | | 3,998 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 3,272 | 3.3% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 3,074 | 3.1% |
California share of Sierra's total US births 13.3%
Even split
13,340 of 100,597 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sierra appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sierra? ▼
Sierra has been given to 100,597 babies in the U.S. since 1940, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #594 as of the latest data. 5,841 babies were born in 1998, its single highest year.
When was Sierra most popular? ▼
Sierra was most popular in the 1990s decade with 43,638 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Sierra most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sierra are California (13,340 births), Texas (6,596 births), Florida (4,936 births).
How long has the name Sierra been used? ▼
Records for Sierra go back to 1940, giving 86 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Sierra? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sienna, Siena, Siera, Sierrah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sierra's data
- Sierra's decade-level peak was the 1990s (43,638 total births); usage has since declined to 3,241 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Sierras (13,340 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 Sierra
Nearby Names Like Sierra
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sierra
Sienna Girl
#139 39,877 births
Siena Girl
#633 11,070 births
Siera Girl
#11406 2,543 births
Sierrah Girl
1,150 births
Sieanna Girl
#12725 372 births
Compare Sierra side by side: Sierra vs Sienna Sierra vs Siena Sierra vs Siera
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sierra
Angie #593
65,665 births · Peak 1975
Lyric #595
20,875 births · Peak 2014
Eileen #592
189,614 births · Peak 1947
Aliana #596
9,065 births · Peak 2024
Jazlyn #591
17,490 births · Peak 2008
Oaklyn #597
5,027 births · Peak 2018
Frankie #590
37,162 births · Peak 1943
Rosalia #598
10,664 births · Peak 2023
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, 1940–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sierra: #594 Girls' Name - 100,597 Births, Peak 1998." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sierra. 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 Sierra 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.