Sarah is a common feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It derives its popularity from the biblical matriarch Sarah, the wife of Abraham and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions. It is a consistently popular given name across Europe, North America, and the Middle East — is commonly used as a female first name by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, and remains popular also among non-religious members of cultures influenced by these religions.
In Hebrew, Sarah () is the feminine form of the noun Sar (), which commonly translates to "chief", "ruler" or "prince". It is also related to the verb , which is also the basis of the name Israel. In Modern Hebrew, Sarah () is the feminine form of the word for "minister". In Italy, Sara is a common nickname for the name Serafina/Seraphina, which is in turn derived from the word seraph, a high-ranking angel in the hierarchy of angels.
In the United States, Sarah has been counted among the top 150 given names since 1880, when name popularity statistics were first recorded in the United States. Sarah was ranked among the top 10 names from 1978 to 2002, reaching a plateau of popularity from the early 1980s to 1988. Every year since 1989, it has fallen in popularity, but it remained the 30th most–popular name for newborn girls in 2010. Its most common variant spelling, Sara, was number 121.Popular Baby Names , Social Security Administration, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
The name has been similarly popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In England, it gained popularity after the Protestant Reformation. In 2014, Sarah ranked as the tenth most popular female baby name in Ireland.
In Nazi Germany, under the Name Change Ordinance, female Jews who did not have "typically Jewish" given names were forced to add "Sara" as of January 1939, whereas males were forced to add "Israel".
People Sarah, Crown Princess of Brunei Sarah Abo, Australian television presenter, journalist and reporter Sarah Adegoke (born 1997), Nigerian tennis player Sarah Alexander (born 1971), English actress Sarah A. Anderson (1901–1992), American politician Sarah Armstrong-Smith, British Chief information security officer Sarah Aroeste (born 1976), Sephardic Jewish musician Sarah Ashton-Cirillo (born 1977), American journalist and activist Sarah Attar (born 1992), Saudi Arabian-American distance runner Sarah Austin (entrepreneur) (born 1986), American author and tech entrepreneur Sarah Baartman (1789–1815), Khoikhoi woman Sarah Franklin Bache (1743–1808), daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read Sarah Randolph Bailey (1885–1972), American educator and Girl Scout pioneer Sarah Baker (actress), American actress and comedian Sarah Gertrude Banks (1839–1926), American physician and suffragist Sarah Ashlee Barker (born 2001), American basketball player Sarah Baxendale (born 1978 or 1979), British actress Sarah Beeny (born 1972), English property developer and TV presenter Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923), French stage actress Sarah Uriarte Berry (born 1969), American actress and singer
Sarah Bireete, Ugandan lawyer and political activist Sarah Blasko (born 1976), Australian singer, songwriter, musician and record producer Sarah Bolger (born 1991), Irish actress Sarah Bond (executive) (born 1978), American business executive Sarah Bond (historian), American historian Sarah Bond Hanley (born 1865), American politician Sarah Bonnici (born 1998), Maltese singer Sarah Bool (born 1987/8), British politician Sarah Borwell (born 1979), British tennis player
Sarah A. Bowman (1813–1866), Irish American innkeeper, restaurateur, and madam
Sarah Rees Brennan (born 1983), Irish children's writer Sarah Emi Bridcutt (born 1989), Japanese voice actress Sarah Brightman (born 1960), British singer and actress Sarah Jane Brown (born 1963), British campaigner for global health and education Sarah Bryce (born 2000), Scottish cricketer Sarah Burton (disappeared 2018), American missing woman Sarah Bush Lincoln (1788–1869), stepmother of Abraham Lincoln Sarah Buxton (born 1980), American musician Sarah G. Buxton (born 1965), American actress Sarah Byford, British economist Sarah Wayne Callies (born 1977), American actress Sarah Carter (born 1980), Canadian-American actress Sarah Helen Carter (1974–2024), Australian politician, mayor of Maribyrnong City Council Sarah Chalke (born 1976), Canadian actress and model Sarah Champion (born 1969), British politician Sarah Chang (born 1980), Korean American classical violinist Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660–1744), British duchess Sarah Churchill (actress) (1914–1982), British actress and dancer Sarah Clarke (born 1972), American actress Sarah Coe (ice hockey) (born 2003), Canadian ice hockey player Sarah Colonna (born 1974), American stand-up comedian, actress, and comedy writer Sarah Connolly (born 1963), English mezzo—soprano Sarah Connor (singer) (born 1980), German singer Sarah Palfrey Cooke (1912–1996), American tennis player Sarah Cooper (born 1977), Jamaican American comedian and author Sarah Cooper-Lesadd (born 1994 or 1995), Welsh politician
Sarah Coyte (born 1991), Australian cricketer Sarah Cracknell (born 1965), English singer-songwriter and lead singer of the electronic music band Saint Etienne Sarah Darling (born 1982), American musician Sarah Dash (1945–2021), American singer Sarah Davis (politician) (born 1976), American politician Sarah Iliff Davis (1820–1909), American milliner, business woman, philanthropist Sarah Desjardins (born 1994), Canadian actress Sarah Dessen (born 1970), American writer and novelist
Sarah Dines (born 1965), British politician Sarah Discaya, Filipino politician and businesswoman involved in the Philippine flood control projects controversy Sarah Dorsey (1829–1879), American novelist and historian Sarah Douglas (actress) (born 1952), English actress Sarah Doyle, British poet Sarah Dreier (born 1995), Austrian ski mountaineer Sarah Drew (born 1980), American actress and director Sarah Dunant (born 1950), English writer, broadcaster and critic Sarah Edmondson, Canadian actress and podcaster Sarah Emma Edmonds (1841–1898), British North American-born woman Sarah Edwards (actress) (1881–1965), American actress Sarah Edwards (missionary) (1710–1758), American mystic Sarah Fyge Egerton (1668–1723), British writer Sarah Elfreth (born 1988), American politician in Maryland Sarah Elliott (cricketer) (born 1982), Australian women's cricketer Sarah Ellis (author) (born 1952), Canadian children's writer and librarian Sarah Elmaleh, American voice actor Sarah Engels (born 1992), German pop singer and TV personality Sarah Everhardt (born 2006), American figure skater
Sarah Featherstone (born 1966), British architect Sarah Feinberg (born 1977), American civil servant Sarah Ferguson (born 1959), British former member of the British royal family Sarah Ferguson (journalist) (born 1965), Australian journalist, reporter and television presenter Sarah Ferguson (politician) (1942–2022), Jersey politician Sarah Fielding (1710–1768), British writer Sarah Fillier (born 2000), Canadian ice hockey player Sarah Dawn Finer (born 1981), Swedish singer, songwriter and actress Sarah Finnegan (born 1996), American artistic gymnast Sarah Fisher (born 1980), American race car driver Sarah Fisher, American Episcopal bishop Sarah Flaxmer (fl. 1790s), English religious polemicist Sarah Foot (born 1961), British historian and Anglican priest Sarah Forbes Bonetta (1843–1880), West African princess Sarah Frey (born 1976), American farmer and entrepreneur Sarah Fuller Flower Adams (1805–1848), English poet and hymnwriter Sarah Fuller (athlete) (born 1999), American soccer and football player Sarah Ferguson (born 1959), British author, television personality, and former member of the British royal family Sarah E. Gabbett (1833–1911), American medal designer and first Custodian of the Southern Cross of Honor Sarah Gadon (born 1987), Canadian actress Sarah Gailey (born 1990), American author Sarah Ewing Sims Carter Gaut (1826–1912), American secessionist and Confederate spy Sarah Michelle Gellar (born 1977), American actress Sarah Geronimo (born 1988), Filipino singer and actress Sarah Gilbert (born 1962), English vaccinologist Sarah Godlewski (born 1981), American businesswoman and politician Sarah Goldberg (born 1985), Canadian actress Sarah Good (1655–1692), woman executed in the Salem Witch Trials Sarah E. Goode (1855–1905), American entrepreneur and inventor Sarah Goodridge (1788–1853), American artist Sarah Gorden (born 1992), American soccer player Sarah Urist Green (born 1979), American art museum curator, author, and creator Sarah Greene (born 1957), English TV presenter Sarah Greene (actress) (born 1984), Irish actress and singer Sarah Moore Grimké (1792–1873), American abolitionist
Sarah Grochala (born 1973), British playwright Sarah Israelit Groll (1925–2007), Israeli Egyptologist and linguist Sarah Ogan Gunning (1910–1983), American songwriter and folk singer Sarah Hadland (born 1971), English actress Sarah Haffner (1940–2018), German—British author, painter and active feminist Sarah Haider (born 1991), American writer, public speaker, and political activist Sarah Josepha Hale (1788–1879), American writer, activist and editor Sarah C. Hall (1832–1926), American physician, suffragist Sarah Tyson Hallowell (1846–1924), American art curator Sarah Harding (1981–2021), English singer, model and actress Sarah Harmer (born 1970), Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist Sarah Harrington, British artist Sarah Hart (disambiguation), several people Sarah Hay (born 1987), American actress and ballerina Sarah Heap (1870–1960), New Zealand physical education teacher and drill mistress Sarah Hegazi (1989–2020), Egyptian socialist, writer and lesbian activist Sarah Henderson (born 1964), Australian politician, lawyer and former journalist Sarah Hengler (c.1765 –1845) British businesswomen and firework artist Sarah Hirini (born 1992), New Zealand rugby Union player Sarah Hirshland (born 1975), chief executive officer of the United States Olympic Committee
Sarah A. Hoyt (born 1962), Portuguese-born American science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction writer Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (born 1946), American anthropologist and primatologist
Sarah Hudson (singer) (born 1984), American singer and musician Sarah A. Hughes (1847–1816), African Methodist Episcopal preacher Sarah T. Hughes (1896–1985), American lawyer and federal judge Sarah Hughes (born 1985), American politician and former competitive figure skater Sarah Hyland (born 1990), American actress Sarah Ichioka, American urban planner and art curator Sarah Idan (born 1990), Iraqi-American model, television host, musician, beauty pageant titleholder, and politician Sarah Iliev (born 2006), French female tennis player Sarah Illingworth (born 1963), English-born New Zealand former cricketer Sarah Imovbioh (born 1992), Nigerian basketball player Sarah Inghelbrecht (born 1992), Belgian road and track cyclist Sarah Ioannides (born 1972), British conductor, collaborator and multimedia Sarah Irving, Canadian businesswoman Sarah Isgur (born 1982), American lawyer and political operative Sarah Iversen (born 1990), Danish handball player Sarah Noble Ives (1864–1944), American painter, illustrator and writer Sarah Yorke Jackson (1805–1887), First Lady of the United States Sarah Jaffe (born 1986), American musician from Denton, Texas Sarah Jarosz (born 1991), American musician Sarah Jeffery (born 1996), Canadian actress Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909), American novelist, short story writer and poet Sarah Anne Johnson (born 1976), Canadian artist Sarah Iles Johnston (born 1957), American classical scholar Sarah Jones (screen actress), American actress