Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2016

Sailor

Meaning Spelling variant of Saylor Gender Unisex · 84% girls Rank 2025 #1,134 Trend → Stable

Spelling variant of Saylor.

Rank 2025
#1,134
among girls · ↑214 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
246
named Sailor · +13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,802
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2016
294 babies
All-time total
4,290
#3,188 all-time among girls
First recorded
1997
in Social Security records

Sailor popularity over time

4,290 babies have been named Sailor since 1997, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s 59 20 79 8 – #2,809
2000s 588 116 704 70 +791% #2,310
2010s 1,730 307 2,037 204 +189% #1,056
2020s (to 2025) 1,226 244 1,470 245 +20% #1,079

Where Sailor 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 209 0.13 outside top 500
2027 211 0.13 outside top 500
2028 213 0.13 outside top 500
2029 215 0.13 outside top 500
2030 217 0.13 outside top 500

Where Sailor is most popular

Girls named Sailor per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.123 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Alabama, and North Carolina.

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 Sailor 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
Utah 25 0.300 +143%
Alabama 27 0.288 +133%
North Carolina 61 0.268 +117%
West Virginia 7 0.267 +116%
Washington 29 0.201 +63%
Georgia 45 0.198 +61%
Florida 83 0.194 +57%
Wisconsin 19 0.184 +50%
Arizona 25 0.178 +44%
Missouri 21 0.174 +41%
Oklahoma 12 0.163 +32%
Louisiana 14 0.160 +30%
Idaho 5 0.149 +21%
Tennessee 22 0.139 +13%
South Carolina 12 0.133 +8%
Texas 107 0.133 +8%
Michigan 24 0.132 +7%
Mississippi 5 0.107 -13%
Colorado 11 0.099 -20%
Arkansas 5 0.095 -23%
California 79 0.094 -24%
Ohio 22 0.093 -25%
Indiana 13 0.093 -25%
Oregon 6 0.092 -25%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -62%
New York 15 0.038 -69%
Illinois 5 0.022 -82%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Sailor

Sailor is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,134 in 2025 with 206 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1997, 4,290 American babies have been named Sailor, about 84% girls and 16% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2016, when 294 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Sailor stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sailor?

The median living Sailor is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 13. An estimated 4,300 people named Sailor are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Sailor 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 206 #1,134 40 #3,080
2024 170 #1,348 48 #2,740
2023 230 #1,079 30 #3,788
2022 182 #1,303 50 #2,672
2021 213 #1,152 39 #3,111
2020 225 #1,087 37 #3,122
2019 208 #1,156 45 #2,798
2018 158 #1,419 36 #3,221
2017 243 #1,056 40 #2,998
2016 245 #1,066 49 #2,582
2015 237 #1,094 44 #2,757
2014 200 #1,225 23 #4,372
2013 135 #1,595 25 #4,039
2012 103 #1,927 19 #5,010
2011 111 #1,827 14 #6,193
2010 90 #2,184 12 #7,019
2009 85 #2,310 12 #7,154
2008 77 #2,478 23 #4,369
2007 74 #2,535 13 #6,544
2006 64 #2,773 15 #5,733
2005 42 #3,573 7 #9,941
2004 45 #3,386 13 #6,077
2003 55 #2,833 10 #7,146
2002 51 #2,931 14 #5,343
2001 52 #2,841 9 #7,406
2000 43 #3,208 – –
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Sailor?

The median living Sailor is about 8 years old. Half of all living Sailors are between 4 and 13 years old.

How many people named Sailor are alive today?

An estimated 4,300 people named Sailor are alive in the United States, based on 4,290 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sailor mean?

Spelling variant of Saylor.

How popular is the name Sailor in 2025?

Sailor ranked #1,134 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 206 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sailor?

4,290 babies have been named Sailor in the United States since 1997, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sailor most popular?

Sailor peaked in 2016, when 294 newborns received the name.

Is Sailor a boy or girl name?

Sailor is used for both: about 84% of babies named Sailor have been girls and 16% boys.

Is the name Sailor rising or falling?

Sailor is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Sailor become more popular?

Sailor looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 217 girls named Sailor in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Sailor

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

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