Sara
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Meaning
princess (biblical, widely used)
Famously borne by Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx.
The story
Sara is Sarah without the final h, the same Hebrew name meaning 'lady' or 'princess.' In Genesis, Sarah is Abraham's wife and the matriarch who becomes Isaac's mother in old age; the story carried her name through Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition. Sara may be the more international spelling. It works unchanged in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, and many Slavic languages, which gives four simple letters an enormous map. Its American curve has been remarkably durable: present from the earliest records, growing through the middle of the twentieth century, strongest from the 1970s through the 2000s, and easing gently rather than falling away. Sarah and Sara share a root but not always a family. The shorter spelling has earned its own century of birth certificates and its own quiet kind of permanence.
Sara in song
Sara
Fleetwood Mac (1979)
A hushed, drifting Stevie Nicks song from Tusk that people have been arguing about the meaning of ever since.
On record since at least the 4th century: Sara daughter of Nehemiah, funerary inscription at Beth She'arim.
How popular is Sara around the world?
In the United States, 9,569 babies were named Sara between 2020 and 2025. In Norway, 140 girls were given the name Sara in 2025.
Sara is on the official records of the United States, Norway, Spain, Poland, Argentina, Austria, Mexico City, Chile, Brazil, Montevideo, England and Wales, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Canada, Scotland, South Australia, France and New Zealand.
Sara crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record, of a Spanish-speaking one and of Brazil’s 2022 census, which counts people of every age. The full lists: English and Spanish · English and Portuguese · Spanish and Portuguese
United States
1 in 2,300
In the United States, 9,569 babies were named Sara between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Sara peaked in the 1980s and the 2000s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Norway
1 in 190register 2026
In Norway, 140 girls were given the name Sara in 2025.
share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
Spain
1 in 250
In Spain, 179,954 residents are named Sara, the 19th most common name among women, with a mean age of 28.9 years.
In Spain, Sara was the 19th most common name among girls born in 2024.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Poland
1 in 280
In Poland, 867 girls named Sara were born in 2025, the 41st most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
Argentina
1 in 410
In Argentina, 1,624 newborns were given the name Sara in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Austria
1 in 510
In Austria, 150 girls named Sara were born in 2025, the 54th most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Mexico City City
1 in 540
In Mexico City, there were 217 registrations of Sara in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (7 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Chile
1 in 610
In Chile, 290 girls were registered as Sara in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Brazil
1 in 670
At the 2022 census, 304,917 people in Brazil were named Sara, the 96th most common name, with a median age of 16.
Among people named Sara living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 32,073 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Montevideo City
1 in 9802011
In Montevideo, 25 girls named Sara were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
England and Wales
1 in 1,400
In England and Wales, 427 girls named Sara were born in 2025, the 110th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Puerto Rico
1 in 1,400
In Puerto Rico, 13 babies were named Sara in 2025, and 590 have carried the name since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Ireland
1 in 1,500
In Ireland, 37 girls named Sara were born in 2025, the 127th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Canada
1 in 1,600
In Canada, 230 girls named Sara were born in 2024, the 112th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Scotland
1 in 1,800
In Scotland, 25 girls named Sara were registered in 2024, the 164th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
South Australia
1 in 1,8002017
In South Australia, 10 girls were registered as Sara in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
France
1 in 2,000
In France, about 315 girls named Sara were born in 2025, the 179th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
New Zealand
1 in 3,800
In New Zealand, 15 girls named Sara were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
New South Wales
outside the top 100
Sara is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
When you meet Sara
Most people given the name Sara in the United States were born between 1970 and 1999. The Sara you meet today is most often in her 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Sara travels
Arab American · princess (spelled and pronounced almost identically in Arabic and English, making it one of the easiest names to carry across both cultures)
Indian American · a comfortable crossover pick in both Indian Muslim and mainstream American use
Dual-language · also written 沙羅 in Japanese after the sal tree of Buddhist scripture (famous from the opening line of The Tale of the Heike); a genuine second meaning, not just a homophone
Persian · princess, noble lady (shared with biblical Sarah)
Keep exploring
Names like Sara · Names that go with Sara · Middle names for Sara · Arab American baby names · Dual-language baby names · Amharic and Ethiopian baby names · Persian baby names · Indian American baby names · Short names · Nickname-proof names
The Sara deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Sara 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 Sara fits with your family’s names and surname.
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