Fun Facts About the Name Saba
- More than 1 thousand babies named Saba: U.S. records list 1,681 babies given the name Saba from 1880 through 2025. Even 94 boys received the name Saba - about 1 boy for every 17 girls.
What Does the Name Saba Mean?
Saba has two independent origins, and each gives the name a different meaning. In Arabic, the feminine name Saba comes from ṣabā (صبا), the east wind or the soft breeze that blows at dawn; the literal sense is a wind, and by extension the freshness of early morning. Persian uses the same word, sabā, for a breeze, and it is also used there as a given name.
A separate masculine name, Saba, is the Georgian form of the Greek Sabbas (Σάββας). That Greek name comes from Aramaic sāḇā, "old man, elder," related to Hebrew sav, also "elder" or "grandfather." In this line the meaning is "elder," and it has no connection to the Arabic word for a breeze.
The ancient kingdom of Saba, better known in English as Sheba, shares the same spelling but is a place name recorded in the Sabaean language of southern Arabia. Its own etymology is uncertain, and the resemblance to the personal names above is not evidence of a shared origin.
Saba Name History & Origins
The Arabic and Persian feminine name rests on a word that classical Arabic poetry uses for the morning wind that carries news of the beloved and the scent of distant places; the name has been used for girls in Arabic- and Persian-speaking regions. The same word also names a melodic mode in Arabic music, maqam Ṣabā.
In the Christian East, the name spread largely through Saint Sabas (c. 439 - 532), a Cappadocian monk who founded the Great Lavra in the Judaean desert, still known as Mar Saba. The Greek Sabbas was taken into Georgian as Saba (საბა), into Russian as Savva (Савва), and into Serbian as Sava (Сава); Saint Sava of Serbia (1175 - 1236) is the best-known bearer of the Slavic form. Saba has long been a traditional male given name in Georgia.
The kingdom of Saba in present-day Yemen is a separate name. It appears in the Hebrew Bible's account of the Queen of Sheba, and it supplies the title of Surah 34 of the Qur'an, Sabaʾ.
How Popular is the Name Saba?
Saba has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2001. Its best rank was #2,409 in 1986.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,967 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 2024 | #4,741 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2023 | #5,519 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2022 | #4,359 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 2021 | #5,710 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2020 | #5,461 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #6,370 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #4,439 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2017 | #4,469 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2016 | #4,224 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2015 | #5,099 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2014 | #5,602 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2013 | #6,208 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #4,585 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #5,332 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #4,287 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2009 | #6,506 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #5,115 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2007 | #4,920 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2006 | #3,910 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2005 | #3,452 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2004 | #3,610 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2003 | #4,188 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2002 | #3,585 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2001 | #2,871 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 2000 | #3,864 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1999 | #3,178 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1998 | #3,004 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 1997 | #2,614 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1996 | #3,290 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 1995 | #3,203 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1994 | #2,532 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 1993 | #3,564 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1992 | #2,858 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 1991 | #2,613 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 1990 | #3,420 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1989 | #3,145 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1988 | #3,083 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1987 | #2,960 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1986 | #2,409 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 1985 | #3,065 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1984 | #3,213 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1983 | #3,523 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1982 | #3,732 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1981 | #4,494 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1980 | #3,698 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1979 | #5,670 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #4,039 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1977 | #6,748 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1976 | #4,301 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1975 | #5,428 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #5,269 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #8,186 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #5,830 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #6,243 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,746 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #12,048 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #10,537 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #11,947 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #13,684 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #9,702 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #10,811 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #9,601 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #11,200 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #7,150 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #8,813 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #9,972 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #9,352 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1990 | #7,929 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #7,919 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Saba Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Saba's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Saba's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.