Girls' name · peaked in 1981
Sarah name popularity since 1925
989,100 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Sarah. Half of them were born in 1987 or earlier, so the typical Sarah is about 39 years old in 2026. Sarah peaked in 1981 as the #4 name for girls, and it ranked #90 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 989,100
- Named Sarah, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #90
- for girls in 2025 (2,710 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% girls
- 986,122 girls · 2,978 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 1.81× its national share
Peak year is the year Sarah made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Sarah births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1982. Measured as a share of all babies, Sarah peaked in 1981.
- Fastest rise: Between 1972 and 1977, Sarah became 2.9× more common, from 1 in 249 baby girls to 1 in 85.
- Steepest fall: Between 2006 and 2011, its share of baby girls fell by 46%, from 1 in 170 to 1 in 316.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Sarah's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Sarah.
Decade by decade
Babies named Sarah in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 21,724 | 126 | – |
| 1930s | 36,513 | 236 | #61 |
| 1940s | 39,977 | 150 | #76 |
| 1950s | 39,966 | 120 | #108 |
| 1960s | 43,913 | 149 | #92 |
| 1970s | 118,823 | 438 | #17 |
| 1980s | 272,637 | 1,120 | #5 |
| 1990s | 224,423 | 358 | #5 |
| 2000s | 124,545 | 226 | #15 |
| 2010s | 46,657 | 46 | #57 |
| 2020–25 | 16,944 | 9 | #90 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
41.7% of babies named Sarah from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Sarah is most popular
The index compares Sarah's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Sarah.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1.81× | 5,666 |
| Alaska | 1.75× | 2,601 |
| Vermont | 1.65× | 2,747 |
| Delaware | 1.38× | 2,850 |
| South Carolina | 1.33× | 18,523 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Sarah and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah (this page) | 986,122 | 1981 |
| Sara | 399,896 | 1981 |
| Sariah | 9,594 | 2011 |
| Sarrah | 1,332 | 1888 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Sarah's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Sarah.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Sarah (1981).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data