NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Sarah

A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "princess" or "noblewoman".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Sarah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Sarah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #130, with 375 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 3,111 births.

This profile covers 27,961 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 12% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 48,897 living people in the UK are called Sarah. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Sarah ranked #130 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 375 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 3,111 girls were registered as Sarah.
  • Sarah ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #75 in 2024.
  • About 48,897 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sarah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#130

2024

Births in 2024

375

Latest year

Peak year

1996

3,111 births

Estimated living

48,897

2026

Meaning

What does Sarah mean?

The name Sarah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, with its earliest known use dating back to ancient biblical times. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "sarah," which means "princess" or "noblewoman." It is believed to have first appeared in the Book of Genesis, where Sarah was the name of the wife of the patriarch Abraham.

In the biblical narrative, Sarah was a woman of great faith and courage, and her name has come to symbolize these virtues. The name Sarah appears frequently throughout the Old Testament, and it is also mentioned in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Sarah can be found in the Book of Genesis, which is believed to have been written around the 6th or 5th century BCE. In this text, Sarah is described as the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac, one of the three patriarchs of the Abrahamic religions.

Throughout history, there have been many notable individuals who have borne the name Sarah. One of the most famous is Sarah Bernhardt, a French actress and cultural icon who lived from 1844 to 1923. She was widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses of her time and is often credited with helping to establish the modern concept of celebrity.

Another notable Sarah is Sarah Vaughan, an American jazz singer who lived from 1924 to 1990. She was a highly influential and innovative vocalist who helped to shape the sound of modern jazz and is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century.

In the realm of politics, Sarah Palin, an American politician and commentator, has been a prominent figure in recent decades. She served as the Governor of Alaska from 2006 to 2009 and was the Republican Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2008 election.

Sarah Josepha Hale, an American writer and editor who lived from 1788 to 1879, is also noteworthy. She is best known for her efforts in campaigning for the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the United States.

Finally, Sarah Breedlove, better known as Madam C.J. Walker, was an African American entrepreneur and philanthropist who lived from 1867 to 1919. She is widely regarded as one of the first self-made millionaires in the United States and is celebrated for her contributions to the development of hair care products and the promotion of economic empowerment for African American women.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Sarah over time

The chart below shows babies named Sarah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Sarah, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 375 births in 2024, compared with 3,111 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Sarah
07782K2K3K199620102024

Decades

Sarah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sarah was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #126 1,976 5
2010s #96 5,817 10
2000s #55 10,649 10
1990s #25 9,519 4

Geography

Where Sarah is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Sarah. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Sarah ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #75 in 2024.

Scotland
29
Northern Ireland
27

Across the UK

Sarah in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#148 in 2024

51 years of NRS records, 17,866 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#75 in 2024

28 years of NISRA records, 3,510 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Sarah

  • Sarah Wiltshire

    association football player

    Welsh footballer (born 1991)

    1991-

  • Sarah Young

    disc jockey; record producer

    DJ

    1989-

  • Sarah Woolley

    British trade union leader

    1987-

  • Sarah Winckless

    rower

    British rower

    1973-

  • Sarah Willingham

    businessperson; restaurateur

    British entrepreneur, investor and personal finance expert

    1973-

  • Sarah Witty

    politician

    Australian politician

    1972-

  • Sarah Willis

    musician; television presenter; wind instrument player; horn player; brass player

    American British musician

    1969-

  • Sarah Wykes

    human rights defender; activist

    British human rights activist

    1965-

Related

Names similar to Sarah

FAQ

Sarah: questions and answers

How popular is the name Sarah in the UK right now?

In 2024, Sarah was ranked #130 for girls in England and Wales, with 375 births registered.

When was Sarah most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 3,111 babies registered as Sarah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Sarah?

A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "princess" or "noblewoman".

How many people are called Sarah in the UK?

A total of 27,961 babies have been registered as Sarah across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 17,866 more in Scotland and 3,510 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Sarah most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Sarah ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #75 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.