Sarabi
A feminine name of Swahili origin meaning "mirage" or "desert spirit".
Name Census estimates that about 259 living Americans carry the first name Sarabi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sarabi today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sarabi births was 2022 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sarabi. 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
259
~ 1 in 1,323,376 Americans
Peak year
2022
27 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,913
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Sarabi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sarabi from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 116 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sarabi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sarabi 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 Sarabi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sarabis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sarabi
The name Sarabi is believed to have originated from the Swahili language, spoken primarily in East Africa. The name is thought to be derived from the Swahili word "sarabi," which means "mirage" or "illusion." It is a name that has been in use for centuries, particularly among the Swahili people and other ethnic groups in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sarabi can be found in the epic poem "Utendi wa Tambuka," written in the 17th century by an unknown Swahili poet. The poem recounts the adventures of a Swahili princess named Sarabi, who embarks on a perilous journey across the Indian Ocean.
In the 19th century, a famous Swahili poet and philosopher named Sarabi bin Hemedi al-Sufi (1800-1870) wrote extensively on Sufism and Islamic mysticism. His works, including "Qasida al-Ghazaliyya" and "Qasida al-Burda," have had a significant influence on Swahili literature and culture.
Another notable figure with the name Sarabi was Sarabi binti Chuma (1870-1946), a Swahili queen who ruled over the Kilwa Sultanate in modern-day Tanzania. She was known for her diplomatic skills and her efforts to maintain the cultural traditions of her people.
In the 20th century, Sarabi Banat (1920-1998) was a renowned Swahili writer and activist from Zanzibar. She wrote several novels and short stories that explored themes of gender, identity, and social justice. Her works, such as "Utamaduni wa Wanawake" (The Culture of Women), have been celebrated for their literary merit and their contribution to Swahili literature.
Another notable figure with the name Sarabi was Sarabi Nguvauva (1935-2010), a Namibian politician and activist who played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from South African rule. She served as the first female speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia after the country gained its independence in 1990.
While the name Sarabi has its roots in East Africa, it has gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant Swahili cultural influence or diaspora communities. The name carries a sense of mystery and allure, reflecting its connection to the concept of a mirage or illusion.
People
Sarabi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sarabi 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
Sarabi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sarabi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 259 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sarabi 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 1,323,376 US residents.
Is Sarabi a common name?
We classify Sarabi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 262 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sarabi most popular?
The single biggest year for Sarabi was 2022, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sarabi is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Sarabi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sarabi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sarabi 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 Sarabi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sarabi 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 Sarabi 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Sarabi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.