Sierra
Sierra was the 616th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 476 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 49th; the most babies were born in 1998 (5,841). Over the last ten years it has moved down 212 places. More babies were named Sierra in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning mountain range (Spanish) · Spanish, Latin
Say it see-AIR-uh /siˈɛrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #616 girls, down 82 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 476girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19985,841 babies
- Total since 1880
- 100,866babies recorded
What does the name Sierra mean?
Sierra is a Spanish word name. In Spanish, sierra means a saw and, from the jagged look of a saw blade, a range of mountains; the Real Academia Española and the American Heritage Dictionary both trace it to Latin serra, saw. English borrowed the word for a rugged mountain range with a jagged outline. Wiktionary describes Sierra as a modern American girls' name from the Spanish noun, sometimes confused with the similar-sounding Ciara and Sarah.
sierra (Spanish, “saw; mountain range”)serra (Latin, “saw”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Spanish names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley.
Sources for this meaning
- Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la lengua española (23rd ed., online), entry 'sierra' (etymology), Real Academia Española / ASALE
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'sierra' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Wiktionary, entry 'Sierra' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Sierra popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 269 since 1975.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #616 | 476 |
| 2020 | #534 | 568 |
| 2010 | #214 | 1,455 |
| 2000 | #53 | 5,520 |
| 1990 | #141 | 2,170 |
| 1980 | #850 | 184 |
| 1970 | #3,015 | 23 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | #6,000 | 5 |
| 1940 | #1,344 | 32 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sierra, counting every spelling?
Sierra is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #546 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #616 for Sierra on its own. Together these spellings went to 551 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra | 476 | #616 | 2,673 |
| Cierra | 63 | #2,727 | 245 |
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 Sierra?
476 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sierra (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Sierra 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 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sierra.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sierra?
About 99,000 people born in the US named Sierra are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 22 and 31. That makes Sierra 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.
Sierra by state
How common Sierra was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (4.1×), Nevada (3.1×), California (2.4×), Idaho (2.3×), Colorado (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Sierra: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sierra, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Sierra · Sibling names for Sierra
Questions about the name Sierra
What does Sierra mean?
Sierra means “mountain range (Spanish)” (Spanish, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Sierra?
Sierra was the 616th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 476 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 49th; the most babies were born in 1998 (5,841). Over the last ten years it has moved down 212 places. More babies were named Sierra in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Sierra a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Sierra in the US.
Where is Sierra most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sierra was most common in New Mexico (1.36 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nevada and California.