A 1890s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Sabra since 1880
Babies named Sabra per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1961, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Sabra's real moment was 1890.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 49 |
| 1890s | 60 |
| 1900s | 73 |
| 1910s | 136 |
| 1920s | 165 |
| 1930s | 335 |
| 1940s | 417 |
| 1950s | 514 |
| 1960s | 879 |
| 1970s | 555 |
| 1980s | 648 |
| 1990s | 640 |
| 2000s | 299 |
| 2010s | 152 |
| 2020s | 38 |
Meaning & origin
Sabra is a rare name with a peak in 1890, the year it ranked highest. In 2025, it ranked 10917, with an incidence of about 1 in 200908 births. First recorded in 1880, it saw a revival in the 1890s and has been rising since 2021, though its usage remains very low. The name's origins are debated among Arabic, Hebrew, and ancient North African roots. Its unusual sound and uncertain etymology give it a distinctive, quiet charm, appealing to parents seeking a rare name with cross-cultural resonance.
Sabra is a name of debated origin. It may derive from the Arabic 'sabr' (patience), a virtue name in Islamic culture. Another theory links it to the ancient Phoenician city of Sabra (or Sabratha) in modern-day Libya. In Hebrew, it can be a variant of Savta, meaning grandmother. The name gained some usage in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, possibly influenced by the biblical figure of the same name (a variant of Zipporah, although the connection is uncertain).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Sab, Sabs, Bree
Sibling names for Sabra
Names that share Sabra's style, for a brother or sister.
