Unisex · #16,210 in 2026

Sugar

Sugar is a class of sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules made of two bonded monosaccharides; common examples are sucrose, lactose and maltose. White sugar is almost pure sucrose.

Current Rank
#16,210
Peak Rank
#4,810 (1971)
Total Babies
135
5-Yr Trend
Stable
👧 Girl peak #4,810 (135 total)
👦 Boy peak #3,603 (46 total)
👧As Girl Name
1965
First Year
2016
Last Year
1971
Peak Year
#4810
Peak Rank
135
Total Count
22
Years Active
👦As Boy Name
1951
First Year
1981
Last Year
1981
Peak Year
#3603
Peak Rank
46
Total Count
7
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Sugar

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Sugar is a class of sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules made of two bonded monosaccharides; common examples are sucrose, lactose and maltose. White sugar is almost pure sucrose.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
The etymology of sugar reflects the commodity's spread. From Sanskrit śarkarā , meaning "ground or candied sugar", came Persian shakar and Arabic sukkar . The Arabic word was borrowed in Medieval Latin as succarum , whence came the 12th-century Old French sucre and the English sugar . Sugar was introduced into Europe by the Arabs in Sicily and Spain. The English word jaggery , a coarse brown sugar made from date palm sap or sugarcane juice, has a similar etymological origin: Portuguese jágara from the Malayalam cakkarā , which is from the Sanskrit śarkarā .
Origin & history
Main article: History of sugar Sugar cane plantation Sugar was first produced from sugar cane in the Indian subcontinent. Diverse species of sugar cane seem to have originated from India ( Saccharum barberi and S. edule ) and New Guinea ( S. officinarum ). Sugarcane is described in Chinese manuscripts dating to the 8th century BCE, which state that the use of sugarcane originated in India. Nearchus (admiral of Alexander the Great ), the Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides and the Roman Pliny the Elder also described sugar. In the mid-15th century, sugar was introduced into Madeira and the Can

The Story of Sugar

As a girl name

Sugar first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1965, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1971, when 11 Sugars were born — ranking #4,810 that year. As of 2026, Sugar ranks #16,210 for girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 135 Sugars have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.

As a boy name

Sugar first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1951, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1981, when 11 Sugars were born — ranking #3,603 that year. As of 2026, Sugar ranks #3,603 for boys with 11 births, with steady use. In total, more than 46 Sugars have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Sugar

Phonetically similar names — useful when Sugar is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Shagger
  • Sure
  • Shaker
  • Shocker
  • Sugary
  • Shure
  • Sugars
  • Shakur
  • Sugared
  • Shucker
  • Shicker
  • Schucker

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sugar

What does the name Sugar mean?
Sugar is a class of sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules made of two bonded monosaccharides; common examples are sucrose, lactose and maltose. White sugar is almost pure sucrose.
How popular is Sugar in 2026?
In 2026, Sugar ranks #16,210 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Sugar most popular?
Sugar reached its peak popularity in 1971, ranking #4,810 that year with 11 babies given the name.
Is Sugar a unisex name?
Yes — Sugar is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 75% of Sugars assigned female and 25% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Sugar?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Sugar include Lutisha, Lewanna, Loana. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Sugar

Sugar is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1965 and has accumulated 135 births in the dataset. Sugar's peak popularity came in 1971 when it ranked #4,810. Use the chart and map above to compare Sugar's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.