Sage
Meaning
wise one; herb
The story
Sage is two Latin words that collided in English and never separated. The wise one comes from sapius, to taste and so to discern; the herb comes from salvia, from salvus, healthy, because the plant was medicine before it was seasoning. They are unrelated roots that arrived at the same four letters, so a family choosing Sage is choosing both whether they mean to or not. It is one of the more evenly shared names in our records, about 30,500 girls to 15,800 boys, which is unusual: most names that look unisex are quietly lopsided. The curve is a steady climb rather than a spike. About 660 babies in the 1970s, 5,600 in the 1990s, 10,700 in the 2000s, and more than 15,000 so far this decade. Our own data files it among gentle names.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Sage peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
When you meet Sage
Most people given the name Sage in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Sage deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Sage truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Sage fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Sage · Gentle names · Short names · Gender-neutral names
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