Sabella
From Latin meaning "sand-colored" or "golden-brown."
Name Census estimates that about 1,284 living Americans carry the first name Sabella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sabella today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sabella births was 2016 (83 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sabella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Sabella is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 266,943 Americans
Peak year
2016
83 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,862
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Sabella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sabella from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 703 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sabella remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sabella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sabella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sabellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Sabella, while Michigan, Illinois, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sabella
The given name Sabella has its roots in ancient Rome, derived from the Latin word "Sabellus," which referred to the Sabine people, an Italic tribe that inhabited the central Apennine regions of ancient Italy. The name is believed to have originated around the 8th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sabella can be found in the historical works of the Roman historian Livy, who mentions a Sabine woman named Sabella who played a significant role in the legendary Rape of the Sabine Women incident, which occurred during the reign of Romulus, the founder of Rome, in the 8th century BCE.
In the 4th century CE, a Roman noblewoman named Sabella Vettia Praetextata was renowned for her piety, intelligence, and patronage of the arts. She was a prominent figure during the reign of Emperor Gratian and was highly respected by the Christian and pagan communities of her time.
During the Renaissance period, Sabella Michiel, a Venetian noblewoman born in 1458, gained fame for her literary works and her patronage of artists and intellectuals. She was a member of the influential Michiel family and hosted a renowned literary salon in Venice.
In the 16th century, Sabella Pico della Mirandola, born in 1538, was a renowned Italian scholar and philosopher. She was a member of the esteemed Pico della Mirandola family and was known for her expertise in literature, philosophy, and theology.
Another notable figure was Sabella de Merici, born in 1470, who founded the Order of Ursulines, a Roman Catholic religious order dedicated to the education of girls. She is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church and is revered for her contributions to education and her unwavering commitment to her faith.
Throughout history, the name Sabella has been associated with individuals from various backgrounds, including nobility, scholars, and religious figures, reflecting its enduring legacy and the diverse cultural influences that have shaped its meaning and significance over the centuries.
People
Sabella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sabella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sabella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sabella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,284 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sabella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 266,943 US residents.
Is Sabella a common name?
We classify Sabella as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,297 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sabella most popular?
The single biggest year for Sabella was 2016, when 83 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sabella is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sabella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sabella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.