Fun Facts About the Name Sawda
- 52 babies named Sawda: U.S. records list 52 babies given the name Sawda from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Sawda Mean?
Sawda (Arabic سَوْدَة) is an Arabic feminine given name formed from the root s-w-d, the root of words for blackness and darkness. The feminine adjective sawdāʾ (سَوْدَاء) means black or dark, and the name is customarily explained with that sense, sometimes narrowed to the idea of a dark complexion. Descriptive names taken from color adjectives are ordinary in Arabic, so a name glossed as black or dark is not unusual in itself.
Sawda is best described as a personal name related to the color word rather than as a common noun with an independent meaning of its own; the usual explanations connect it to the s-w-d root instead of giving an exact grammatical derivation. Names that look similar but belong elsewhere should not be merged with it: Saʿdah, Saʿīdah, and Suʿād come from the root s-ʿ-d (happiness, good fortune), which has nothing to do with blackness. The male name Aswad and the diminutive form Suwaydāʾ share the root, but they are separate names.
Sawda Name History & Origins
The name is documented from the first decades of Islam through Sawda bint Zamʿa, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad who is counted among the Ummahāt al-Muʾminīn, the Mothers of the Believers. The traditional biographies say she was a widow before that marriage: she had been the wife of al-Sakrān ibn ʿAmr and had emigrated with him to Abyssinia among the early Muslims. After his death she married Muhammad, an event usually placed after the death of his first wife, Khadija. The accounts describe her as older than ʿĀʾisha, and a well-known tradition says she gave her night with Muhammad to ʿĀʾisha; the report appears in the hadith literature and is cited as an example of her generosity toward a co-wife. She is said to have died in Medina during the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, though the exact year is not settled.
As an ordinary Arabic women's name, Sawda continued in use after the 7th century and traveled with Arabic-speaking and Muslim communities beyond Arabia. It is written in several transliterations - Sawdah, Saudah, Sauda, Saodah - that reflect local spelling habits in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Africa as well as in the Arab world, while the underlying Arabic spelling stays the same. The color sense behind the name remains plain in Arabic: the same spelling appears in the Saudi place name Jabal Sawdah (جبل السودة), the Black Mountain near Abha.
How Popular is the Name Sawda?
Sawda 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 2015. Its best rank was #14,259 in 2015.
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 | #16,863 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #14,937 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #14,826 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #15,357 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #18,023 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #15,918 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #14,259 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #16,517 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #20,020 | 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 Sawda 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.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Sawda's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sawda's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.