How popular is the baby name Sarah in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Sarah.

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Popularity of the baby name Sarah


Posts that mention the name Sarah

Baby names that fell the fastest in the U.S. data, 1881 to today (absolute decrease)

fallen leaves

A couple of weeks a go we checked out the list of top raw-number rises in the U.S. baby name data, so today let’s balance things out with the list of top raw-number drops.

Just remember that the SSA data doesn’t become very accurate until the mid-to-late 20th century, so many of the numbers below don’t reflect reality all that well.

Same format as usual: Girl names on the left, boy names on the right. Numbers represent single-year decreases in usage. From 1880 to 1881, for instance, usage of the girl name Mary dropped by 146 babies and usage of the boy name William dropped by 1,008 babies.

1880s

  • 1881: Mary, -146; William, -1,008
  • 1882: Lulu, -34; Garfield, -78
  • 1883: Mary, -136; William, -911
  • 1884: Mina, -33; Albert, -61
  • 1885: Sarah, -94; William, -853
  • 1886: Nancy, -35; Grover, -361
  • 1887: Minnie, -157; John, -916
  • 1888: Dorothea, -24; Rudolph, -17
  • 1889: Emma, -203; William, -933

1890s

  • 1890: Mollie, -53; William, -278
  • 1891: Mary, -375; John, -821
  • 1892: Jennie, -26; Enoch & Irving, -16 each (tie)
  • 1893: Mary, -390; John, -990
  • 1894: Ruth, -286; Grover, -171
  • 1895: Laura, -87; Charles, -155
  • 1896: Jessie, -197; John, -182
  • 1897: Anna, -431; John, -589
  • 1898: Sophie, -49; Hobart, -63
  • 1899: Mary, -1,234; William, -1,314

1900s

  • 1900: Manila, -24; Dewey, -154
  • 1901: Mary, -3,572; John, -2,931
  • 1902: Sophie, -45; Manuel, -32
  • 1903: Mary, -211; William, -305
  • 1904: Lillie, -121; Leo, -83
  • 1905: Florence, -94; Alton, -138
  • 1906: Minnie, -173; Theodore, -146
  • 1907: Bessie & Alice, -85 each (tie); Austin, -27
  • 1908: Evelyn, -178; Theodore, -69
  • 1909: Mae, -154; Ernest, -115

1910s

  • 1910: Allie, -35; Delmar & Bruce, -24 each (tie)
  • 1911: Annie, -220; Willie, -405
  • 1912: Dessie, -20; Lawyer & Blas, -12 each (tie)
  • 1913: Carrie, -62; Emerson, -28
  • 1914: Tomasa, -27; Woodrow, -547
  • 1915: Juana, -32; Kermit, -79
  • 1916: Mollie, -88; Willard, -476
  • 1917: Edna, -204; Woodrow, -239
  • 1918: Rose, -215; Frederick, -103
  • 1919: Helen, -2,447; John, -3,029

1920s

  • 1920: Sophie, -234; Woodrow, -1,033
  • 1921: Gertrude, -449; Willie, -391
  • 1922: Helen, -2,314; Warren, -3,315
  • 1923: Helen, -1,017; George, -321
  • 1924: Elizabeth, -512; Warren, -1,231
  • 1925: Mary, -2,910; John, -1,878
  • 1926: Mary, -2,773; William, -1,358
  • 1927: Helen, -1,582; William, -479
  • 1928: Mary, -3,756; William, -2,360
  • 1929: Mary, -3,361; John, -1,652

1930s

  • 1930: Ruth, -1,079; Herbert, -2,187
  • 1931: Dorothy, -3,884; John, -4,026
  • 1932: Betty, -1,688; Robert, -1,255
  • 1933: Mary, -4,381; Robert, -5,052
  • 1934: Dorothy, -761; Franklin, -1,209
  • 1935: Betty, -2,408; Franklin, -1,543
  • 1936: Shirley, -7,202; Donald, -1,025
  • 1937: Shirley, -8,337; Donald, -771
  • 1938: Shirley, -3,048; Donald, -1,207
  • 1939: Shirley, -3,320; Robert, -2,630

(From the SSA: “Note that many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data.”)

1940s

  • 1940: Shirley, -2,573; Donald, -962
  • 1941: Betty, -1,172; Wendell, -533
  • 1942: Deanna, -408; Billy, -352
  • 1943: Carole, -1,900; Douglas, -3,001
  • 1944: Barbara, -4,242; Robert, -4,008
  • 1945: Mary, -3,184; James, -2,497
  • 1946: Victoria, -280; Victor, -492
    • Top 5 boy-name drops of ’46, in order: Victor, Truman, Franklin, Delano, Roosevelt/Homer (tie)
  • 1947: Carole, -793; Richard, -369
  • 1948: Patricia, -5,144; Richard, -7,570
  • 1949: Linda, -5,192; Ronald, -2,026

1950s

  • 1950: Linda, -10,549; John, -1,642
  • 1951: Linda, -6,553; Larry, -1,016
  • 1952: Linda, -6,808; Larry, -2,224
  • 1953: Linda, -5,819; Larry, -3,081
  • 1954: Linda, -5,884; Dennis, -2,860
  • 1955: Mary, -4,830; Gary, -3,499
  • 1956: Deborah, -4,476; David, -4,588
  • 1957: Deborah, -7,778; Gary, -2,286
  • 1958: Cynthia, -8,311; James, -5,502
  • 1959: Debra, -4,166; Michael, -5,209

1960s

  • 1960: Debra, -4,626; Richard, -3,619
  • 1961: Donna, -5,468; Richard, -2,432
  • 1962: Mary, -4,163; Mark, -4,234
  • 1963: Linda, -3,754; Mark, -4,150
  • 1964: Lori, -5,280; Mark, -4,073
  • 1965: Mary, -6,709; John, -10,972
  • 1966: Karen, -7,431; John, -6,519
  • 1967: Lisa, -4,483; James, -3,495
  • 1968: Mary, -3,592; David, -3,058
  • 1969: Lisa, -4,494; Timothy, -3,153

1970s

  • 1970: Lisa, -6,077; David, -1,953
  • 1971: Lisa, -6,053; David, -8,650
  • 1972: Lisa, -5,357; John, -8,340
  • 1973: Lisa, -4,883; David, -5,267
  • 1974: Lisa, -2,889; Robert, -1,681
  • 1975: Jennifer, -4,926; Brian, -3,864
  • 1976: Michelle, -3,116; Scott, -1,571
  • 1977: Amy, -4,613; Scott, -1,541
  • 1978: Amy, -3,509; Jason, -4,027
  • 1979: Kelly, -1,686; Kevin, -1,373

1980s

  • 1980: Melissa, -2,420; Jason, -2,203
  • 1981: Melissa, -3,623; Jason, -6,268
  • 1982: Brooke, -2,183; Jeremy, -2,643
  • 1983: Jennifer, -2,767; Jason, -5,512
  • 1984: Jennifer, -3,784; Jason, -5,167
  • 1985: Jennifer, -7,903; Jason, -3,905
  • 1986: Jennifer, -6,474; Joshua, -4,655
  • 1987: Jennifer, -3,483; Jason, -3,054
  • 1988: Ashley, -4,873; Jason, -3,441
  • 1989: Jennifer, -3,888; Jason, -3,292

1990s

  • 1990: Tiffany, -2,555; Adam, -2,216
  • 1991: Brittany, -7,446; Christopher, -5,219
  • 1992: Jessica, -5,047; Michael -6,409
  • 1993: Chelsea, -4,885; Michael, -4,821
  • 1994: Ashley, -4,571; Michael, -5,089
  • 1995: Jessica, -4,175; Michael, -3,060
  • 1996: Jessica, -3,752; Michael, -3,043
  • 1997: Jessica, -3,142; Cody, -2,660
  • 1998: Jessica, -2,816; Christopher, -2,104
  • 1999: Brittany, -1,903; Austin, -2,710

2000s

  • 2000: Brittany, -2,760; Austin, -4,824
  • 2001: Hannah, -2,366; Brandon, -2,445
  • 2002: Taylor, -2,220; Jacob, -1,968
  • 2003: Ashanti, -1,983; Austin, -2,850
  • 2004: Hannah, -2,034; Zachary, -1,832
  • 2005: Alexis, -1,503; Jacob, -2,059
  • 2006: Emily, -2,540; Ryan, -1,557
  • 2007: Emily, -2,050; Joshua, -1,664
  • 2008: Hannah, -3,738; Christopher, -2070
  • 2009: Emily, -2,084; Anthony, -2,099

2010s

2020s

  • 2020: Harper, -1,686; Ethan, -1,801
  • 2021: Isabella, -957; Mason, -1,035
  • 2022: Ava, -1,791; Logan, -1,241
  • 2023: Ava, -1,405; Aiden, -1,151
  • 2024: Ava, -1062; Mason, -786

I’ve already written about some of the names above (click the links to see the posts) and will write about others in the future. In the meanwhile, feel free to beat me to it! Comment below with the backstory on the fall of Shirley in the late ’30s, Linda in the early ’50s, etc.

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Fall (6282684630) by Kenny Louie under CC BY 2.0.

[Latest update: May 2025]

Popular baby names in New York City, 2017

Flag of New York
Flag of New York

According to New York City’s Department of Health, the most popular baby names in the city in 2017 were Emma and Liam.

Here are New York City’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2017:

Girl Names
1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Mia
4. Sophia
5. Isabella
6. Ava
7. Leah
8. Emily
9. Sarah
10. Abigail

Boy Names
1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Jacob
4. Ethan
5. David
6. Lucas
7. Matthew
8. Jayden
9. Aiden
10. Daniel

In the girls’ top ten, Abigail replaced Madison.

In the boys’ top ten, David and Jayden replaced Dylan and Michael.

Within each of the five boroughs, the top baby names were…

  • Manhattan: Olivia and James
  • Bronx: Isabella and Liam
  • Brooklyn: Esther and David
  • Queens: Emma and Liam
  • Staten Island: Olivia and Michael

And finally, some of the baby names bestowed just 10 times each in NYC last year:

  • Artemis, Tzippy, Reizy (girl names)
  • Azriel, Zeus, Thaddeus (boy names)

NYC also used to break down top names by ethnic/racial group (see the 2015 rankings, for example) but this time around the news release didn’t include that information.

Source: Health Department Announces Emma and Liam Are Most Popular Baby Names For 2017

Image: Adapted from Flag of New York (public domain)

What popularized the baby name Adia in the late 1990s?

Sarah McLachlan's single "Adia" (1998)
Sarah McLachlan single

According to the U.S. baby name data, the uncommon name Adia more than doubled in usage in 1998, then rose even higher in 1999:

  • 2000: 134 baby girls named Adia
  • 1999: 155 baby girls named Adia
  • 1998: 116 baby girls named Adia
  • 1997: 51 baby girls named Adia
  • 1996: 45 baby girls named Adia

Why?

Because of the Sarah McLachlan single “Adia” (pronounced ay-dee-uh), which was released in March of 1998. The song peaked at #3 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart later the same year, in August.

During a 1999 appearance on the The Rosie O’Donnell Show, McLachlan revealed that “Adia” had originally been called “Emily.” She decided to change the name, though, because Simon & Garfunkel had already used Emily in the title of their song “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” (1966).

Here’s the music video for “Adia”:

What are your thoughts on the name Adia?

P.S. The late ’90s is also when Sarah McLachlan was involved in the traveling music festival Lilith Fair.

Sources: Adia – Wikipedia, Adia by Sarah McLachlan – Songfacts, SSA

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2017

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

According to the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), the most popular baby names in England and Wales last year were again Olivia and Oliver.

Here are the top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2017:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 5,204 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 4,358
  3. Isla, 3,373
  4. Ava, 3,289
  5. Emily, 3,121
  6. Isabella, 2,627
  7. Mia, 2,590
  8. Poppy, 2,527
  9. Ella, 2,452
  10. Lily, 2,405

Boy names

  1. Oliver, 6,259 baby boys
  2. Harry, 5,031
  3. George, 4,929
  4. Noah, 4,273
  5. Jack, 4,190
  6. Jacob, 3,968
  7. Leo, 3,781
  8. Oscar, 3,738
  9. Charlie, 3,724
  10. Muhammad, 3,691

In 2016, the #1 names were the same.

In the girls’ top 10, Poppy replaced Jessica (now 15th).

In the boys’ top 10, Leo replaced Thomas (now 13th).

Sarah has dropped out of the girls’ top 100, and now Elizabeth is the only girl name that has been in the top 100 continually since 1904, when the records began.

For a longer set of rankings, check out the 100 most popular names at the blog British Baby Names.

Finally, here are some rare baby names that were given to exactly 3 babies in England and Wales last year:

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Azmia, Buddug, Clemmie, Dunia, Elham, Figgy, Ghalia, Harpa, Izna, Japleen, Keavie, Loveday, Massa, Nectaria, Oghosa, Princy, Rym, Skaiste, Tarteel, Umi, Vinisha, Wiam, Yukta, ZuzuArlowe, Birch, Cledwyn, Diggory, Excel, Finlo, Gwydion, Hewie, Indio, Jetson, Kavarli, Laker, Moksh, Nhyira, Osazee, Philemon, Roj, Swaley, Tirth, Uttam, Volkan, Wraith, Yanky, Zheer

Sources: Baby names in England and Wales: 2017, Sarah drops out of top 100 baby names for first time in over a century

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)