Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2006

Sahara

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,978 Trend ↓ Falling 11%
Rank 2025
#1,978
among girls · ↓333 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
98
named Sahara · -22% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,401
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2006
248 babies
All-time total
4,734
#2,673 all-time among girls
First recorded
1964
in Social Security records

Sahara popularity over time

4,734 babies have been named Sahara since 1964, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 5 – 5 1 – #7,600
1970s 93 – 93 9 +1760% #3,887
1980s 238 – 238 24 +156% #2,521
1990s 744 – 744 74 +213% #1,543
2000s 1,546 5 1,551 155 +108% #1,035
2010s 1,347 – 1,347 135 -13% #1,310
2020s (to 2025) 756 – 756 126 -6% #1,500

Where Sahara is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 96 0.06 outside top 500
2027 95 0.06 outside top 500
2028 93 0.06 outside top 500
2029 92 0.06 outside top 500
2030 91 0.06 outside top 500

Where Sahara is most popular

Girls named Sahara per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.076 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Sahara born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Georgia 37 0.163 +116%
Pennsylvania 35 0.148 +96%
Florida 52 0.122 +61%
California 85 0.101 +34%
North Carolina 20 0.088 +16%
Illinois 18 0.079 ≈ national
Virginia 13 0.076 ≈ national
New York 28 0.071 -6%
New Jersey 12 0.066 -12%
Texas 52 0.065 -14%
Indiana 6 0.043 -43%
Arizona 5 0.036 -53%
Michigan 5 0.027 -64%
Ohio 5 0.021 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sahara

Sahara is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,978 in 2025 with 98 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1964, 4,734 American babies have been named Sahara. Its peak came in 2006, when 248 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sahara stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sahara?

The median living Sahara is about 17 years old; half are between 9 and 24. An estimated 4,700 people named Sahara are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sahara year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 98 #1,978 – –
2024 126 #1,645 – –
2023 123 #1,688 – –
2022 133 #1,598 – –
2021 133 #1,582 – –
2020 143 #1,500 – –
2019 142 #1,525 – –
2018 121 #1,716 – –
2017 127 #1,694 – –
2016 103 #1,952 – –
2015 121 #1,738 – –
2014 111 #1,836 – –
2013 126 #1,683 – –
2012 144 #1,537 – –
2011 180 #1,310 – –
2010 172 #1,361 – –
2009 169 #1,403 – –
2008 201 #1,255 – –
2007 248 #1,058 – –
2006 248 #1,035 – –
2005 200 #1,160 – –
2004 101 #1,880 – –
2003 83 #2,121 5 #12,414
2002 96 #1,863 – –
2001 92 #1,899 – –
2000 108 #1,645 – –
1995 80 #1,799 – –
1990 48 #2,514 – –
1985 28 #3,221 – –
1980 10 #6,665 – –
1975 7 #7,770 – –
1970 6 #7,791 – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sahara, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sahara?

The median living Sahara is about 17 years old. Half of all living Saharas are between 9 and 24 years old.

How many people named Sahara are alive today?

An estimated 4,700 people named Sahara are alive in the United States, based on 4,734 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Sahara in 2025?

Sahara ranked #1,978 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 98 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sahara?

4,734 babies have been named Sahara in the United States since 1964, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sahara most popular?

Sahara peaked in 2006, when 248 newborns received the name.

Is Sahara a boy or girl name?

Sahara is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sahara rising or falling?

Sahara has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Sahara become more popular?

Sahara is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 91 girls named Sahara in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Sahara

Names that sound and feel close to Sahara: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sahara with similar names → More names starting with S →