Sara is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Sara means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Sara across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Sara has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Sara is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “princess, noblewoman”. a variant spelling of Sarah.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 437,441 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 14,121 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 2,729 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 447 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 3,047 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,121 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Sara per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1981 (11,391/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2017 (653/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1982 (98/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2011 (91/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (34/yr).
Sara has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1981, when it ranked #62 nationally (given to 11,525 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1980s.
Sarah · Sierra · Ciara · Zara · Sarai · Zariah · Zaria · Zahra
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