Saralee
A feminine name combining "Sarah" meaning princess and "Lee" meaning meadow.
Name Census estimates that about 389 living Americans carry the first name Saralee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Saralee today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saralee births was 1941 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saralee. 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
389
~ 1 in 881,117 Americans
Peak year
1941
28 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2018 SSA rank
#15,349
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Saralee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Saralee from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 189 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Saralee 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 Saralee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Saralees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the most babies named Saralee, while New York, Pennsylvania, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Saralee
The given name Saralee is a relatively modern name that combines the biblical name Sarah with the suffix "-lee". Its origins can be traced back to the Hebrew language, where Sarah means "princess" or "noblewoman". The name Sarah has deep roots in the Abrahamic religions, particularly in Judaism and Christianity, as it was the name of the wife of Abraham in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
In the biblical account, Sarah was initially called Sarai, which means "my princess" or "princess of the multitude". Her name was changed to Sarah by God, symbolizing her role as the mother of nations. The name Sarah has been a popular choice among Jewish and Christian families for centuries, with numerous variations and spellings across different cultures and languages.
The earliest recorded use of the name Saralee is relatively recent, likely emerging in the late 19th or early 20th century as a combination of Sarah and the suffix "-lee". This suffix has been used in various English names, often derived from French or Old English origins, such as Hailee, Marlee, or Kaylee.
While the name Saralee itself does not have a long historical record, it is a modern variation that pays homage to the biblical figure Sarah. Some notable individuals with the given name Saralee include:
1. Saralee Rosenberg (born 1942), an American author and illustrator known for her children's books.
2. Saralee Kunde (born 1948), an American author and educator, known for her work on teaching methods and curriculum development.
3. Saralee Pryor (1925-2017), an American dancer and choreographer who worked extensively in television and theater.
4. Saralee Orsborn (born 1943), an American actress and singer who appeared in various television shows and films in the 1960s and 1970s.
5. Saralee Crofts (born 1944), an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of the folk-rock duo Seals & Crofts.
While the name Saralee is not as common as its biblical counterpart Sarah, it has gained popularity in recent decades as a unique and melodic variation. Its combination of ancient roots and modern flair has contributed to its appeal among parents seeking a name with historical significance and a distinctive sound.
People
Saralee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saralee 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
Saralee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saralee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 389 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saralee 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 881,117 US residents.
Is Saralee a common name?
We classify Saralee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 749 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saralee most popular?
The single biggest year for Saralee was 1941, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saralee is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Saralee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saralee 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.