How popular is the baby name Safire 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 Safire.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Safire


Posts that mention the name Safire

Where did the baby name Raiana come from in 1989?

Raiana Paige's single "Open Up Your Heart" (1988).
Raiana Paige single

The name Raiana first surfaced in the U.S. baby name data in 1989:

  • 1991: unlisted
  • 1990: 5 baby girls named Raiana
  • 1989: 5 baby girls named Raiana [debut]
  • 1988: unlisted
  • 1987: unlisted

Where did it come from?

My guess is Latin freestyle singer Raiana Paige.

Like Sa-Fire, Raiana was born in Puerto Rico, but raised in New York.

Her first single, “Open Up Your Heart” (1988), was also her most successful. Though the song didn’t manage to make Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, it did reach #10 on the dance chart.

Here’s the music video:

What are your thoughts on the name Raiana?

Sources: Raiana Paige – Open Up Your Heart – AllMusic, Raiana Paige – Rare and Obscure Music, Raiana Paige – The Isle of Deserted Pop Stars, SSA

Where did the baby name Safire come from in 1989?

Sa-Fire's self-titled debut album (1988).
Sa-Fire album

The name Safire first popped up in the U.S. baby name data in the late 1980s:

  • 1991: unlisted
  • 1990: unlisted
  • 1989: 6 baby girls named Safire [debut]
  • 1988: unlisted
  • 1987: unlisted

What put it there?

Latin freestyle singer Sa-Fire.

She was born (as Wilma Cosmé) in Puerto Rico, but grew up in New York.

Her self-titled debut album, released in 1988, spawned four singles — all of which reached Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart.

The most successful was the ballad “Thinking of You,” which was written “about her uncle who died of AIDS in the Bronx.” The song peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 in May of 1989. It climbed even higher (#4) on the Adult Contemporary chart.

One reporter guessed (in 1989) that the trendiness of Sa-Fire and other “up-and-coming Latino stars” had been fueled by a film:

Since the success of the movie and sound track album “La Bamba” two years ago, the American pop music charts have become populated by young Hispanic performers — Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, Sa-fire, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Sweet Sensation, Exposé and Martika.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Safire? Do you like it more or less than, say, Safira?

Sources: