Fun Facts About the Name Sage
- More than 46 thousand babies named Sage: U.S. records list 46,190 babies given the name Sage from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 15,752 boys received the name Sage - about 1 boy for every 2 girls.
What Does the Name Sage Mean?
Sage is an English unisex name taken from the English word sage, whose usual senses are "a wise person" and "the sage plant." The "wise" sense comes from Old French sage ("wise, learned, discreet"), from a Gallo-Romance form related to Latin sapere ("to taste, to have discernment, to be wise"). The plant sense comes separately from Old French sauge, from Latin salvia, the name of the herb. The two words are homonyms in English, not a single etymology, so the personal name can be understood either as "wise one" or as the plant name.
Sage Name History & Origins
The adjective and noun sage entered Middle English from Old French after the Norman Conquest, meaning "wise, learned, discreet." A sage was a wise man, especially one known for counsel. The plant name also appears in medieval English as sage or sauge, borrowed from Old French sauge and ultimately from Latin salvia. The surname Sage is found in medieval England, most often explained as a nickname for a wise or prudent person. As a given name, Sage is an English word name used for both boys and girls; it may have been adopted from the vocabulary word or from the surname. Its "wise" association comes from the older French-derived adjective, while its nature-name use comes from the herb.
How Popular is the Name Sage?
Sage recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #143 in 2022.
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 | #160 | 1,853 | 0.1153% |
| 2024 | #146 | 1,987 | 0.1232% |
| 2023 | #143 | 1,958 | 0.1222% |
| 2022 | #143 | 2,013 | 0.1228% |
| 2021 | #177 | 1,674 | 0.1021% |
| 2020 | #223 | 1,318 | 0.0816% |
| 2019 | #279 | 1,172 | 0.0699% |
| 2018 | #305 | 1,095 | 0.0644% |
| 2017 | #312 | 1,049 | 0.0608% |
| 2016 | #353 | 940 | 0.0531% |
| 2015 | #369 | 889 | 0.0498% |
| 2014 | #387 | 844 | 0.0473% |
| 2013 | #457 | 666 | 0.0380% |
| 2012 | #492 | 624 | 0.0354% |
| 2011 | #461 | 647 | 0.0368% |
| 2010 | #471 | 642 | 0.0361% |
| 2009 | #397 | 793 | 0.0432% |
| 2008 | #457 | 692 | 0.0366% |
| 2007 | #470 | 684 | 0.0356% |
| 2006 | #415 | 767 | 0.0403% |
| 2005 | #364 | 868 | 0.0470% |
| 2004 | #358 | 881 | 0.0480% |
| 2003 | #406 | 748 | 0.0409% |
| 2002 | #427 | 683 | 0.0380% |
| 2001 | #471 | 589 | 0.0327% |
| 2000 | #489 | 557 | 0.0307% |
| 1999 | #501 | 521 | 0.0294% |
| 1998 | #612 | 393 | 0.0222% |
| 1997 | #521 | 460 | 0.0264% |
| 1996 | #661 | 337 | 0.0192% |
| 1995 | #716 | 289 | 0.0164% |
| 1994 | #799 | 254 | 0.0142% |
| 1993 | #911 | 212 | 0.0117% |
| 1992 | #1,010 | 187 | 0.0101% |
| 1991 | #1,085 | 167 | 0.0089% |
| 1990 | #1,380 | 115 | 0.0061% |
| 1989 | #1,713 | 80 | 0.0043% |
| 1988 | #1,857 | 67 | 0.0038% |
| 1987 | #1,896 | 61 | 0.0035% |
| 1986 | #2,665 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 1985 | #2,309 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 1984 | #2,561 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 1983 | #2,640 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 1982 | #2,046 | 51 | 0.0030% |
| 1981 | #2,399 | 41 | 0.0025% |
| 1980 | #2,694 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 1979 | #2,176 | 46 | 0.0029% |
| 1978 | #1,885 | 53 | 0.0035% |
| 1977 | #1,921 | 52 | 0.0034% |
| 1976 | #2,247 | 38 | 0.0026% |
| 1975 | #2,348 | 35 | 0.0024% |
| 1974 | #2,124 | 39 | 0.0027% |
| 1973 | #3,213 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1972 | #2,726 | 26 | 0.0017% |
| 1971 | #4,083 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1970 | #3,837 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1969 | #4,668 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #4,711 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1966 | #4,424 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #6,634 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #7,430 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #456 | 684 | 0.0400% |
| 2024 | #413 | 779 | 0.0454% |
| 2023 | #416 | 757 | 0.0443% |
| 2022 | #387 | 825 | 0.0473% |
| 2021 | #422 | 730 | 0.0418% |
| 2020 | #436 | 681 | 0.0395% |
| 2019 | #449 | 671 | 0.0374% |
| 2018 | #438 | 693 | 0.0382% |
| 2017 | #472 | 632 | 0.0342% |
| 2016 | #549 | 528 | 0.0278% |
| 2015 | #647 | 403 | 0.0210% |
| 2014 | #646 | 408 | 0.0212% |
| 2013 | #726 | 322 | 0.0170% |
| 2012 | #720 | 326 | 0.0172% |
| 2011 | #831 | 261 | 0.0137% |
| 2010 | #813 | 264 | 0.0138% |
| 2009 | #761 | 299 | 0.0151% |
| 2008 | #750 | 300 | 0.0147% |
| 2007 | #719 | 322 | 0.0155% |
| 2006 | #685 | 330 | 0.0161% |
| 2005 | #646 | 338 | 0.0169% |
| 2004 | #661 | 310 | 0.0156% |
| 2003 | #602 | 351 | 0.0178% |
| 2002 | #575 | 380 | 0.0196% |
| 2001 | #552 | 383 | 0.0197% |
| 2000 | #543 | 392 | 0.0200% |
| 1999 | #530 | 392 | 0.0204% |
| 1998 | #551 | 360 | 0.0188% |
| 1997 | #500 | 416 | 0.0221% |
| 1996 | #581 | 311 | 0.0164% |
| 1995 | #655 | 254 | 0.0133% |
| 1994 | #740 | 202 | 0.0105% |
| 1993 | #799 | 176 | 0.0090% |
| 1992 | #745 | 193 | 0.0097% |
| 1991 | #637 | 257 | 0.0127% |
| 1990 | #1,041 | 104 | 0.0051% |
| 1989 | #1,588 | 51 | 0.0025% |
| 1988 | #1,421 | 55 | 0.0029% |
| 1987 | #2,049 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1986 | #1,640 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1985 | #1,476 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 1984 | #2,088 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1983 | #1,948 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1982 | #1,587 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1981 | #1,758 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1980 | #1,690 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1979 | #1,826 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1978 | #1,183 | 57 | 0.0035% |
| 1977 | #1,636 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 1976 | #1,344 | 44 | 0.0028% |
| 1975 | #1,623 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 1974 | #1,924 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 1973 | #1,728 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 1972 | #1,865 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 1971 | #1,978 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1970 | #1,886 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1969 | #3,871 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #4,635 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1921 | #4,872 | 5 | 0.0005% |
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.
