Siera
An English feminine name derived from the Spanish place name Sierra, meaning "mountain range".
Name Census estimates that about 2,465 living Americans carry the first name Siera. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Siera today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Siera births was 1998 (150 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Siera. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Siera with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.5K
~ 1 in 139,048 Americans
Peak year
1998
150 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,967
Tracked since 1983
Census
Siera in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,379 people with the first name Siera, which placed it at #6,676 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,676
National first-name rank
People counted
2.4K
2,379 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Siera
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Siera is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Hispanic (12.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Siera described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Siera at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.8% · 1,422
- Black or African American18.2% · 433
- Hispanic or Latino12.1% · 289
- Two or more races7.1% · 170
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 18
Popularity
Siera: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Siera 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 1,246 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
Siera 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 Siera during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sieras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 28 states and territories. California, Florida, Ohio recorded the most babies named Siera, while Washington, South Carolina, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Siera
The name Siera has its origins in Spanish and Italian cultures, tracing back to the late Middle Ages. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the name Sierra, which itself is derived from the Spanish word "sierra" meaning a jagged mountain range or a saw-like ridge.
In Spain, the name Sierra was initially used as a topographic surname, referring to people who lived near or in the mountains. Over time, it transitioned into a feminine given name, with Siera emerging as an alternative spelling. The earliest recorded instances of the name Siera date back to the 15th century in various Spanish and Italian genealogical records.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Siera was Siera de la Cruz, a Spanish nun and mystic who lived in the late 15th century. She was known for her spiritual visions and writings, which influenced the religious thought of her time.
In the 17th century, Siera Garibaldi was an Italian noblewoman and philanthropist from Genoa. She dedicated her life to supporting the poor and establishing charitable organizations in her region.
During the 18th century, Siera Montoya was a renowned Spanish painter and portraitist. Her works captured the elegance and grandeur of the Spanish aristocracy, and many of her paintings are preserved in museums throughout Europe.
In the 19th century, Siera Alvarez was a Cuban poet and activist who advocated for women's rights and social reform. Her poetry explored themes of freedom, equality, and the struggle for independence.
Another notable figure was Siera Delgado, a Mexican revolutionary who fought alongside Emiliano Zapata during the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. She was known for her bravery and unwavering commitment to the cause of land reform and social justice.
While the name Siera has maintained a presence throughout history, it has never achieved widespread popularity. Its unique spelling and connection to the natural landscape have made it a distinctive and evocative choice for parents seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Siera + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Siera 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
Siera: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Siera?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,465 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Siera 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 139,048 US residents.
Is Siera a common name?
We classify Siera as "Rare". It ranks above 94.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,536 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Siera most popular?
The single biggest year for Siera was 1998, when 150 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Siera is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Siera in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,379 people with the name Siera, or 0.79 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,676 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Siera in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Siera?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Siera appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,381 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Siera?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Siera is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Hispanic (12.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Siera most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Siera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.8% (1,422 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Siera in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Siera a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Siera 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 Siera still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Siera 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 Siera 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.
How many people have the name Siera?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.