Siarra
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a variant of Sierra.
Name Census estimates that about 705 living Americans carry the first name Siarra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Siarra today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Siarra births was 2002 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Siarra. 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
705
~ 1 in 486,176 Americans
Peak year
2002
46 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2020 SSA rank
#14,856
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Siarra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Siarra from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 327 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Siarra 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 Siarra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Siarras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Siarra, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Siarra
The name Siarra has its origins in the ancient Celtic cultures of Western Europe, particularly in regions that are now part of modern-day Ireland and Scotland. It is believed to be derived from the Old Irish word "siar," which means "westward" or "towards the west," reflecting the geographical orientation of these lands.
Siarra is thought to have been a popular name among the Celtic tribes of the British Isles during the Iron Age and early medieval periods, spanning from around the 5th century BC to the 8th century AD. While no definitive ancient texts or historical records mention the name explicitly, its roots can be traced back to the linguistic traditions of the Gaelic languages spoken by these ancient peoples.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Siarra can be found in the Irish Annals, which documented significant events and genealogies in medieval Ireland. In the 12th century, a woman named Siarra Ní Dhomhnaill was mentioned as a member of the influential Ó Domhnaill (O'Donnell) dynasty, a powerful clan in Ulster.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Siarra. One such figure was Siarra MacLean (1570-1645), a Scottish noblewoman from the Isle of Mull who played a pivotal role in the Clan MacLean during the tumultuous times of the Scottish Civil War.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Siarra O'Connor (1820-1892), an Irish-American activist and philanthropist who dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of Irish immigrants in the United States during the 19th century.
In the realm of literature, Siarra Wilde (1865-1923) was a renowned Irish poet and writer who contributed significantly to the Celtic Revival movement, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of her homeland through her works.
Moving into the 20th century, Siarra McNeill (1912-1998) was a Scottish artist and sculptor whose works captured the rugged beauty of the Scottish landscape and its people, earning her international recognition.
Lastly, Siarra Byrne (1930-2010) was an Irish academic and historian who specialized in the study of medieval Celtic literature and linguistics, making significant contributions to the understanding of the Gaelic languages and their historical development.
People
Siarra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Siarra 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
Siarra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Siarra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 705 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Siarra 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 486,176 US residents.
Is Siarra a common name?
We classify Siarra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 723 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Siarra most popular?
The single biggest year for Siarra was 2002, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Siarra is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Siarra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Siarra 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.