Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2022

Zarah

Meaning A female given name Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,435 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

A female given name. A female given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], variant of Sarah.

Rank 2025
#1,435
among girls · ↓46 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
151
named Zarah · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,644
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2022
199 babies
All-time total
2,957
#3,628 all-time among girls
First recorded
1968
in Social Security records

Zarah popularity over time

2,957 babies have been named Zarah since 1968, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2022Girls

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 Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s 10 1 – #8,195
1970s 35 4 +250% #5,886
1980s 117 12 +234% #5,320
1990s 204 20 +74% #3,506
2000s 505 51 +148% #2,424
2010s 1,107 111 +119% #1,513
2020s (to 2025) 979 163 +47% #1,219

Where Zarah 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 157 0.10 outside top 500
2027 162 0.10 outside top 500
2028 166 0.10 outside top 500
2029 170 0.11 outside top 500
2030 173 0.11 outside top 500

Where Zarah is most popular

Girls named Zarah per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.103 per 1,000. Strongest in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

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 Zarah 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
Virginia 41 0.241 +133%
Maryland 22 0.208 +101%
Pennsylvania 45 0.190 +84%
Georgia 43 0.189 +83%
Florida 73 0.171 +65%
New York 63 0.159 +54%
Michigan 28 0.154 +49%
New Jersey 27 0.150 +45%
Texas 90 0.112 +8%
Nevada 5 0.108 ≈ national
Tennessee 16 0.101 ≈ national
Illinois 20 0.087 -15%
California 70 0.083 -19%
North Carolina 18 0.079 -23%
Oregon 5 0.077 -26%
Washington 11 0.076 -26%
Massachusetts 8 0.066 -36%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -46%
Ohio 13 0.055 -47%
Missouri 6 0.050 -52%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Zarah

Zarah is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,435 in 2025 with 151 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1968, 2,957 American babies have been named Zarah. Its peak came in 2022, when 199 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named Zarah?

The median living Zarah is about 9 years old; half are between 4 and 17. An estimated 2,900 people named Zarah are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

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

Zarah year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 151 #1,435
2024 163 #1,389
2023 157 #1,429
2022 199 #1,219
2021 168 #1,333
2020 141 #1,517
2019 141 #1,539
2018 116 #1,773
2017 147 #1,513
2016 119 #1,756
2015 122 #1,730
2014 92 #2,113
2013 81 #2,304
2012 99 #1,982
2011 96 #2,042
2010 94 #2,117
2009 80 #2,424
2008 73 #2,583
2007 60 #2,991
2006 69 #2,630
2005 40 #3,726
2004 31 #4,491
2003 44 #3,346
2002 34 #3,887
2001 39 #3,485
2000 35 #3,737
1995 18 #5,438
1990 17 #5,548
1985 14 #5,346
1980 11 #6,318
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Zarah

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Zarah Leander Zarah Leander Swedish actress and singer (1907–1981) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Zarah?

The median living Zarah is about 9 years old. Half of all living Zarahs are between 4 and 17 years old.

How many people named Zarah are alive today?

An estimated 2,900 people named Zarah are alive in the United States, based on 2,957 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Zarah mean?

A female given name. A female given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], variant of Sarah.

How popular is the name Zarah in 2025?

Zarah ranked #1,435 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 151 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Zarah?

2,957 babies have been named Zarah in the United States since 1968, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Zarah most popular?

Zarah peaked in 2022, when 199 newborns received the name.

Is Zarah a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Zarah rising or falling?

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

Will Zarah become more popular?

Zarah is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 173 girls named Zarah in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Zarah?

Well-known people named Zarah include Zarah Leander (singer).

Names like Zarah

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

Compare Zarah with similar names → More names starting with Z →