How to say it
SA · rah
/ˈsɛr.ə/
Feminine
Sarah
Princess, noblewoman
What it means
Hebrew śārāh, 'princess' or 'noblewoman.' The matriarch's name in the Old Testament, root of one of the oldest feminine names still in steady use.
Sarah comes from the Hebrew śārāh, 'princess.' In Genesis she's Abraham's wife, originally Sarai before God renames her; the rename reads as a covenant marker, not a different name. Through the medieval Jewish diaspora and the Protestant Reformation it became one of the most stable feminine names in English, rarely dropping out of the top 100. The Sara spelling (without the H) circulates in Spanish, Italian, and Scandinavian families. Sadie started as a 19th-century short form and now stands as its own name. Sally, once the dominant nickname, has faded.
Popularity over time
peaked at #3 in 1993, currently #90 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Sarah and Sara are both current. Sarah with the H is the dominant US spelling; Sara without the H is more common in Spanish, Italian, and Scandinavian families.
- Nickname
Sadie and Sally both started as 19th-century shorts for Sarah; today they're usually given as their own names. The plain Sara is the only smooth-shortening short.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Sarah (Bible) Wife of Abraham, matriarch of the Hebrew patriarchs
- Sarah Bernhardt French stage actress, dominant figure of late-19th-century theater
- Sarah Jessica Parker Actress, Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City
Spelling variants
- Sara
- Sarai
- Zara
Names with the same feeling
See Sarah from another angle
By meaning
By style