Sahara

Sahara - A very unique female name

Sahara appeared on the charts for the first time in 1979 on position #2974. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Sahara and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Sahara? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Sahara. The baby girl name Sahara was given to 67 baby girls in 2025, ranking #1757 on the national girl baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 19,455 baby girls were given this name - making this a very unique female name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Sahara peaked in popularity 20 years ago in 2006 on position 1059.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Sahara, 1-5?

Sahara is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Sahara is currently topping the baby name charts in North Carolina at position #893 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,875.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Sahara is where you live.

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Sahara origin and meaning

Arabic place name

Desert — from Arabic sahra, 'desert,' the name of the great desert of North Africa

Sahara is the Arabic word for desert, applied to the largest hot desert on earth and borrowed as a girl's name in the place-name fashion of the late twentieth century. It entered American data in 1979 and peaked in 2006.

Attested etymology

Sahara is a 6 letter name with 3 syllables.

To see famous people named Sahara, pop culture references for the name Sahara and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Sahara

We've found the following names that sound similar to Sahara, sorted by popularity.

Sarah / Sara / Sherry / Sierra / Sherri / Sheri / Shari / Sherrie / Sarai / Sawyer /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Sahara

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Sahara a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique female name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Sahara?

3 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

sah-HAH-ruh · /səˈhɑːrə/
Also heard as sah-HAIR-uh in the US.

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Saharah — Respelling with a final h.

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

Place nameNatureInternational

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Sahara for an evocative landscape name — vast, warm and unmistakable.

Worth knowing

• It is a place and a common noun before it is a person to most listeners, and pronunciation splits between -HAH- and -HAIR-.