Sara
Sarah is a common feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It derives its popularity from the biblical matriarch Sarah, the wife of Abraham and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions.
- Hebrew
- Greek
- Spanish
- Italian
Meaning & Origin of Sara
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Sarah is a common feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It derives its popularity from the biblical matriarch Sarah, the wife of Abraham and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Hebrew
- Greek
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
- French
- Catalan
- Galician
- Romanian
- German
- Dutch
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Icelandic
- Finnish
- Slovene
- Croatian
- Serbian
- Bosnian
- Albanian
- Macedonian
- Polish
- English
- Arabic
- Persian
- Amharic
- Tigrinya
- Biblical Hebrew
- Biblical Latin
- Hungarian
- Czech
- Slovak
- Latvian
The Story of Sara
The earliest SSA record of Sara as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 165 babies received it. 1981 was its biggest year on record, with 11,358 newborns named Sara — #26 in the national rankings. About 24% of every Sara on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Sara ranks #191 for baby girls with 1,633 births, holding steady (-4%). All told, over 438K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Sara
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Sara. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Sara
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Sarah, Crown Princess of Brunei
- Sarah Abo , Australian television presenter, journalist and reporter
- Sarah Adegoke (born 1997), Nigerian tennis player
- Sarah Alexander (born 1971), English actress
- Sarah A. Anderson (1901–1992), American politician
- Sarah Armstrong-Smith , British Chief information security officer
- Sarah Aroeste (born 1976), Sephardic Jewish musician
- Sarah Ashton-Cirillo (born 1977), American journalist and activist
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Sara
Phonetically similar names — useful when Sara 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 Sara
What does the name Sara mean?
What is the origin of the name Sara?
How popular is Sara in 2026?
When was Sara most popular?
In which U.S. states is Sara most popular?
Is Sara a unisex name?
What names go well with Sara?
What are nicknames or variants of Sara?
About the name Sara
Sara is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 438K births in the dataset. Sara's peak popularity came in 1981 when it ranked #26. Use the chart and map above to compare Sara's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1981 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.