Sariah
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly meaning "princess" or "lady".
Name Census estimates that about 9,192 living Americans carry the first name Sariah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sariah today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sariah births was 2011 (496 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sariah. 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.
Key insights
- • Sariah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
9.2K
~ 1 in 37,288 Americans
Peak year
2011
496 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,011
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Sariah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sariah from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 3,782 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sariah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sariah 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 Sariah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sariahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 37 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Sariah, while Minnesota, Arkansas, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 200 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sariah
The name Sariah is believed to have its origins in the Hebrew language, deriving from the root words "sarah" and "yah". The name "sarah" means "princess" or "noblewoman", while "yah" is a shortened form of the Hebrew name for God, "Yahweh". Thus, the name Sariah can be interpreted to mean "Princess of God" or "Noblewoman of God".
Historically, the name Sariah is most prominently associated with the Book of Mormon, a sacred text in the Latter-day Saint movement. In the Book of Mormon, Sariah is introduced as the wife of the prophet Lehi, who is depicted as leading his family from Jerusalem around 600 BCE. Sariah is portrayed as a faithful and courageous woman who endures many hardships while following her husband's divine guidance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sariah outside of religious texts is found in the 17th century. Sariah Whiting, born in 1635 in Massachusetts Bay Colony, is believed to be one of the first individuals bearing this name in the American colonies. Her name was likely influenced by the Book of Mormon, which was published in 1830 and gained widespread recognition among early members of the Latter-day Saint movement.
Among notable historical figures with the name Sariah is Sariah Louisa Sargent, born in 1807 in Massachusetts. She was a prominent figure in the early Latter-day Saint movement and was among the first members to be baptized in the movement's early days. Another notable individual is Sariah Elizabeth Fackrell, born in 1872 in Utah, who was a pioneer in the Latter-day Saint settlement of Idaho and served as a midwife and nurse.
In the 19th century, Sariah Sanford, born in 1843 in New York, was a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded the Young Ladies' Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was one of the first schools in the region dedicated to providing higher education for women. Additionally, Sariah Asenath Delano, born in 1809 in Vermont, was a notable author and poet who published several works that touched on themes of spirituality and personal growth.
While the name Sariah has its roots in the Hebrew language and religious traditions, it has also been embraced by individuals from various backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems throughout history. Its meaning and significance have resonated with many, making it a name that has stood the test of time.
People
Sariah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sariah 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
Sariah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sariah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,192 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sariah 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 37,288 US residents.
Is Sariah a common name?
We classify Sariah as "Rare". It ranks above 97.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,319 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sariah most popular?
The single biggest year for Sariah was 2011, when 496 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sariah is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sariah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sariah 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.