Sarai
Sarai was the 425th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 733 babies. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked 398th with 818 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 14 places. More babies were named Sarai in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning my princess (earlier name of Sarah) · Hebrew
Say it suh-RY /səˈraɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #425 girls, up 48 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 733girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2007818 babies
- Total since 1880
- 22,925babies recorded
What does the name Sarai mean?
Sarai is the original name of Sarah, Abraham's wife, before God renamed her (Genesis 17:15). Wiktionary derives it from Hebrew sar, "prince, chief", and it is usually read as "my princess"; the Random House dictionary calls it an older and dialect form of Sarah. A Persian word sarāy, "palace", is unrelated. It is used mostly in Spanish-speaking families in the US.
שָׂרַי (Biblical Hebrew, “Sarai”)שַׂר (Biblical Hebrew, “prince, chief”)
How sure is this? Probable. 'My princess' is the usual reading; the -ai ending is interpreted differently.
Related names: Sarah, Sara, Sari.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Sarai', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Genesis 17.15, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Sarai', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Sarai popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 6 since 1996.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #425 | 733 |
| 2020 | #473 | 650 |
| 2010 | #424 | 741 |
| 2000 | #560 | 465 |
| 1990 | #881 | 220 |
| 1980 | #1,458 | 84 |
| 1970 | #3,182 | 21 |
| 1960 | #5,609 | 7 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sarai, counting every spelling?
Sarai is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #423 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #425 for Sarai on its own. Together these spellings went to 776 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarai | 733 | #425 | 3,606 |
| Saray | 43 | #3,568 | 194 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Sarai?
733 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sarai (0.20 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Sarai born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sarai.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sarai?
About 22,600 people born in the US named Sarai are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 8 and 25. That makes Sarai mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Sarai by state
How common Sarai was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Connecticut (2.2×), Nevada (2.2×), Florida (2.1×), Georgia (2.0×), Maryland (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Minnesota, Kentucky, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Sarai: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sarai, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Sarai · Sibling names for Sarai
Questions about the name Sarai
What does Sarai mean?
Sarai means “my princess (earlier name of Sarah)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Sarai?
Sarai was the 425th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 733 babies. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked 398th with 818 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 14 places. More babies were named Sarai in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Sarai a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Sarai in the US.
Where is Sarai most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sarai was most common in Hawaii (1.48 per 1,000 girls), followed by District of Columbia and Connecticut.