How Many People Are Named Sahara?
An estimated 4,552 people in the United States have the first name Sahara. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 19 years old, and Sahara peaked in popularity in 2006 with 248 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Sahara as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Sahara paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
4,552
About 1 in 75,298 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
99.9% confidence
Average Age
19
years old
Peak Year
2006
248 births
Total Registered
4,634
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Sahara
Sahara is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 4,634 total births registered, 99.9% were female.
Sahara as a male name
Ranked #12,414 in 2003
5 male births in 2003
Peak: 2003 (5 births)
Sahara as a female name
Ranked #1,640 in 2024
126 female births in 2024
Peak: 2006 (248 births)
Sahara in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,133 people with the first name Sahara, which placed it at #4,487 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Sahara was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 4,133 people with this name in that snapshot, 1.1% were male and 98.9% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.9% of the time.
Census Count
4,133
people with this name
Census Rank
#4,487
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
1.37
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Sahara was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Hispanic (29.37%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (28.45%) and White (26.49%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Sahara in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Sahara.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 29.37% | 1,214 |
| Black | 28.45% | 1,176 |
| White | 26.49% | 1,095 |
| Two or More Races | 8.23% | 340 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 6.68% | 276 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.77% | 32 |
Sahara: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Sahara span from the 1960s to the 2020s, covering 7 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 1,550 babies were registered. While Sahara is less common than at its peak in the 2000s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Sahara by Decade
How has Sahara tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Sahara by State
Birth registrations for Sahara span all 29 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Utah, Kansas, Delaware. On average, about 91 Saharas were registered per state.
Sahara + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Sahara as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Sahara
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Sahara: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sahara?
We estimate approximately 4,552 people named Sahara are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 75,298 Americans share this first name.
Is Sahara a common name?
Sahara is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 96.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 4,634 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Sahara most popular?
Sahara reached peak popularity in 2006, when 248 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Sahara is approximately 19 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Sahara in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 4,133 people with the first name Sahara. That placed it at #4,487 in the published Census first-name tables, or 1.37 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Sahara was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sahara?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Sahara was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 1.1% male and 98.9% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sahara?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Sahara was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Hispanic (29.37%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (28.45%) and White (26.49%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Sahara a female name?
Sahara is predominantly female. 99.9% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Sahara have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Sahara peaked in 2006, and the average living bearer is about 19 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Sahara Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Sahara Smith, Sahara Johnson, Sahara Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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