Sae
A feminine Japanese given name meaning "blessing" or "felicity".
Name Census estimates that about 81 living Americans carry the first name Sae. It is a predominantly female name (94.0% of registrations). The average person named Sae today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sae births was 2009 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sae. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Sae with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sae. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
81
~ 1 in 4,231,535 Americans
Peak year
2009
9 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
1990 SSA rank
#9,255
Tracked since 1980
Census
Sae in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 781 people with the first name Sae, which placed it at #14,909 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,909
National first-name rank
People counted
781
781 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
87.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sae
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sae is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Black (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sae described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sae at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.6% · 684
- White7.3% · 57
- Black or African American2.2% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 11
- Two or more races1.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Sae
Sae leans heavily female at 94.0% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Sae as a male name
- Ranked #9,255 in 1990
- 5 male births in 1990
- Peak: 1990 (5 births)
Sae as a female name
- Ranked #17,536 in 2019
- 5 female births in 2019
- Peak: 2009 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Sae on both sides of the split. Of the 781 people counted with this name, 332 were male (42.5%) and 449 were female (57.5%).
Popularity
Sae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sae from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 37 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Sae remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sae 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 Sae during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sae
The name Sae has its origins in the Korean language, where it is a diminutive form of the feminine name Saeun, which means "wide grace" or "expansive kindness." The name Sae can be traced back to the Goryeo dynasty of Korea, which ruled from 918 to 1392 AD. During this period, the name was often bestowed upon daughters born into noble families as a symbol of their grace and virtue.
Sae is also found in the ancient Korean text, the Samguk Yusa, a collection of legends and folktales from the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC–935 AD). In one of the stories, a young woman named Sae is celebrated for her unwavering devotion to her family and her commitment to upholding traditional values.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Sae was Sae Musang (1501–1572), a renowned Korean Buddhist monk and scholar who played a significant role in the development of the Seon (Zen) tradition in Korea. He was known for his profound teachings and his dedication to preserving the philosophical and spiritual heritage of his country.
In the realm of arts and culture, Sae Hanbok (1808–1882) was a celebrated Korean painter and calligrapher. She is renowned for her exquisite depictions of traditional Korean landscapes and her mastery of the delicate brushwork required for calligraphy. Her works are considered national treasures and are exhibited in prestigious museums across Korea.
Moving into the modern era, Sae Mulli (1925–2000) was a prominent South Korean writer and activist. She was widely recognized for her powerful prose that shed light on the struggles of women and the underprivileged in Korean society. Her works played a pivotal role in raising awareness about social injustice and advocating for gender equality.
Another notable figure is Sae Ra (born 1985), a South Korean singer and actress. She rose to fame as a member of the K-pop girl group Dream Catcher and has since established herself as a versatile performer, appearing in various television dramas and musicals.
Lastly, Sae Byeok (born 1994) is a professional Korean esports player and former member of the Overwatch League team, Seoul Dynasty. She gained international recognition for her exceptional skills and strategic gameplay, becoming a role model for aspiring female gamers worldwide.
People
Sae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sae 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
Sae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 81 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sae 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 4,231,535 US residents.
Is Sae a common name?
We classify Sae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 83 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sae most popular?
The single biggest year for Sae was 2009, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sae is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sae in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 781 people with the name Sae, or 0.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,909 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sae in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sae?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Sae on both sides of the split. Of the 781 people counted with this name, 332 were male (42.5%) and 449 were female (57.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sae?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sae is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Black (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sae most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sae in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (684 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sae a female name?
Yes, 94.0% of people registered as Sae 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.
Is Sae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sae in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sae can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have the name Sae?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Sae on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.