Sahib
Sahib or Saheb is a term of address originating from Arabic. As a loanword, Sahib has passed into several languages, including Persian, Kurdish, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Uzbek, Turkmen, Tajik, Crimean Tatar, Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), Punjabi, Pashto, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Rohingya and Somali. During medieval times, it was used either as an official title or an honorific.
- Punjabi
- Urdu
- Azerbaijani
Meaning & Origin of Sahib
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Sahib or Saheb is a term of address originating from Arabic. As a loanword, Sahib has passed into several languages, including Persian, Kurdish, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Uzbek, Turkmen, Tajik, Crimean Tatar, Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), Punjabi, Pashto, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Rohingya and Somali. During medieval times, it was used either as an official title or an honorific.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Punjabi
- Urdu
- Azerbaijani
The Story of Sahib
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Sahib as a girl name dates back to 2004, when 5 babies received it. 2019 was its biggest year on record, with 9 newborns named Sahib — #10,472 in the national rankings. About 45% of every Sahib on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Sahib last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 53 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Sahib as a boy name dates back to 1985, when 5 babies received it. 2017 was its biggest year on record, with 42 newborns named Sahib — #2,840 in the national rankings. About 43% of every Sahib on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Sahib ranks #3,681 for boys with 31 births, gradually falling (-11%). All told, over 819 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Sahib
Phonetically similar names — useful when Sahib is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sahib
What does the name Sahib mean?
What is the origin of the name Sahib?
How popular is Sahib in 2026?
When was Sahib most popular?
In which U.S. states is Sahib most popular?
Is Sahib a unisex name?
What names go well with Sahib?
About the name Sahib
Sahib is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1985 and has accumulated 819 births in the dataset. Sahib's peak popularity came in 2017 when it ranked #2,804. Use the chart and map above to compare Sahib's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2017 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.