Declining since 1997, #11,932 for girls today.
Popularity of Sabah since 1968
Babies named Sabah per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1970s | 20 |
| 1980s | 82 |
| 1990s | 158 |
| 2000s | 117 |
| 2010s | 104 |
| 2020s | 43 |
Meaning & origin
Sabah, an Arabic name meaning 'morning' or 'dawn', has been used in the United States since at least 1968. Its current rank of 11,932 in 2025, with 1 in 229,610 births, reflects a steady decline since a peak in 1996, when the name saw its highest usage. The name has never been heavily concentrated in any particular state, suggesting broad but infrequent use across the country. Despite its modest popularity, Sabah carries a poetic and culturally rich association, evoking the imagery of a new day. Its trajectory has been gradually falling since 1997, aligning with broader trends in rare names that experienced a brief surge in the 1990s and have since become less common.
Sabah derives from the Arabic root s-b-h, meaning 'morning' or 'dawn'. It is used as a feminine given name across the Arab world, often associated with the brightness and new beginning of the early day. The name has been in use for centuries, though it gained broader recognition in the West through cultural exchanges and diaspora communities.
“Sabah” around the world
Where Sabah lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
10
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Saba, Baha
Sibling names for Sabah
Names that share Sabah's style, for a brother or sister.
