Sarayah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "princess of the Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 620 living Americans carry the first name Sarayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sarayah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sarayah births was 2016 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sarayah. 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
620
~ 1 in 552,830 Americans
Peak year
2016
44 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,798
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Sarayah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sarayah 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 305 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sarayah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sarayah 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 Sarayah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sarayahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Sarayah, while Pennsylvania, New York, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sarayah
The name Sarayah has its roots in Hebrew culture and language, originating as a variation of the name Sarah. The name Sarah is derived from the Hebrew word "sarah," which means "princess" or "noblewoman." Sarayah is an alternative spelling that incorporates the Hebrew letter "yod" into the name.
In the Hebrew Bible, Sarah is a prominent figure, being the wife of the patriarch Abraham. Her story is told in the Book of Genesis, where she is described as a beautiful and faithful woman who gave birth to Isaac at an advanced age. The name Sarayah, therefore, carries the biblical connotation of a woman of great faith and perseverance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sarayah can be found in the Book of Chronicles, a historical record of the Israelites. In 1 Chronicles 8:8, a man named Shaharaim is mentioned as having sons named "Hushim and Baara his wives, and Hodesh his concubine." The name Baara is believed to be a variation of Sarayah, indicating the name's usage in ancient Israelite society.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sarayah. In the 17th century, Sarayah Rapoport (1590-1670) was a prominent Jewish scholar and author from Poland. She authored a work titled "The Memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln," which provided valuable insights into the lives of Jewish women during that period.
Another notable Sarayah was Sarayah Hirschfeld (1815-1889), a German-Jewish scholar and author who wrote extensively on Jewish history and literature. Her works, such as "The Principles of the Mosaic Cult" and "The Jewish Question," contributed significantly to the study of Judaism and its cultural impact.
In the 20th century, Sarayah Iselin (1892-1974) was an American philanthropist and art collector. She played a crucial role in preserving and promoting the arts, donating her extensive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works to various museums and institutions.
Sarayah Deeb (1926-2003) was a Lebanese novelist and playwright who made significant contributions to Arabic literature. Her works, such as "The Beirut Blues" and "A Suspended Life," explored themes of identity, displacement, and the complexities of modern Arab society.
Finally, Sarayah Makram-Ebeid (born 1975) is a contemporary Egyptian author and academic. Her novel "Mawlana" received critical acclaim and was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, shedding light on the experiences of women in contemporary Egypt.
People
Sarayah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sarayah 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
Sarayah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sarayah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 620 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sarayah 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 552,830 US residents.
Is Sarayah a common name?
We classify Sarayah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 625 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sarayah most popular?
The single biggest year for Sarayah was 2016, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sarayah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sarayah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sarayah 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.