Sabin
From Latin, meaning "person from Sabina", a historical region in Italy.
Name Census estimates that about 683 living Americans carry the first name Sabin. It is a predominantly male name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Sabin today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sabin births was 1999 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sabin. 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.
People living today
683
~ 1 in 501,837 Americans
Peak year
1999
33 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,180
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Sabin
Out of the 719 babies given the name Sabin since 1880, 99.2% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Sabin as a male name
- Ranked #8,180 in 2024
- 10 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (27 births)
Sabin as a female name
- Ranked #14,062 in 1999
- 6 female births in 1999
- Peak: 1999 (6 births)
Popularity
Sabin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sabin from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 196 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sabin 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 Sabin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sabins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sabin
The name Sabin originates from the Latin language and has its roots in the ancient Roman civilization. It is derived from the Latin word "Sabinus," which referred to the Sabines, an Italic tribe that inhabited the central Apennine region of ancient Italy. The Sabines played a significant role in the legendary foundation of Rome, with their abduction by the Romans being a pivotal event in the city's early history.
Historically, the name Sabin has been associated with several notable figures. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Sabin of Canosa, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD and was executed during the Diocletian persecution. Another early figure was Saint Sabin, a 5th-century bishop of Piacenza in northern Italy, who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
In later centuries, the name Sabin gained prominence in various European countries. In France, Sabin Berthelot (1794-1880) was a notable 19th-century historian and archaeologist. In England, Sabin Willett (1670-1737) was a prominent Quaker merchant and philanthropist. In the United States, Sabin Everett (1785-1859) was a lawyer and politician who served as a representative from Massachusetts.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Sabin was the Polish-American scientist Albert Bruce Sabin (1906-1993). He is renowned for his pioneering work in developing the oral polio vaccine, which contributed significantly to the global eradication of the disease. Sabin's vaccine, introduced in 1961, was instrumental in reducing the prevalence of polio worldwide.
Another notable figure was Sabin Willett Robbins (1809-1891), an American mathematician and educator who served as the second president of Wabash College in Indiana. He contributed significantly to the advancement of mathematics education in the United States.
The name Sabin has also appeared in various literary works and historical records throughout the centuries, further solidifying its place in history and cultural significance.
People
Sabin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sabin 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
Sabin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sabin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 683 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sabin 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 501,837 US residents.
Is Sabin a common name?
We classify Sabin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 719 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sabin most popular?
The single biggest year for Sabin was 1999, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sabin is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sabin a male name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Sabin in the SSA data are male. 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.