Meaning and history
This name comes from the Hebrew name שָׂרָה (Sara) meaning "lady, princess, noblewoman". In the Old Testament, this is the name of Abraham's wife, regarded as the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see Genesis 17:15). In England, Sarah came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was consistently popular in the 20th century throughout the English-speaking world, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1970s and 80s. Notable bearers include Sarah Churchill (1660-1744), an influential British duchess and a close friend of Queen Anne, and the French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923).
20062006: 11,161 births, rank #15
2007: 10,014 births, rank #18
2008: 9,055 births, rank #20
2009: 7,794 births, rank #21
2010: 6,341 births, rank #26
20112011: 5,571 births, rank #39
2012: 5,207 births, rank #42
2013: 4,715 births, rank #48
2014: 4,717 births, rank #50
2015: 4,535 births, rank #57
20162016: 4,429 births, rank #57
2017: 4,036 births, rank #62
2018: 3,781 births, rank #66
2019: 3,325 births, rank #81
2020: 3,070 births, rank #86
20212021: 2,865 births, rank #91
2022: 2,809 births, rank #95
2023: 2,771 births, rank #91
2024: 2,719 births, rank #93
20252025: 2,710 births, rank #90
Sarah has unusual staying power. It appears in the US records as early as 1880 and still ranks #90 for girls in 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1982, with 28,483 births.