Fun Facts About the Name Sergei
- 376 babies named Sergei: U.S. records list 376 babies given the name Sergei from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Sergei Mean?
Sergei is the Russian form of the Latin name Sergius, a Roman family name (nomen) carried by the patrician gens Sergia. The origin of Sergius is not securely established; it is often described as Etruscan or otherwise pre-Latin, in which case no meaning can be recovered from Latin at all. A long-standing traditional gloss connects it to Latin servus, "slave," or servare, "to keep, guard," yielding a sense such as "servant" or "attendant." That explanation is generally treated today as folk etymology rather than a demonstrated derivation, so the name's literal meaning remains uncertain.
Sergei Name History & Origins
Sergius was used in Rome as a hereditary family name, not a personal name, in the classical period. Its entry into wider use came through Christianity: Saint Sergius, a Roman soldier martyred with his companion Bacchus in the early fourth century, was widely venerated in the eastern churches. The name passed into Greek as Sergios and from Byzantine Greek into Slavic through the church.
The Russian form Сергей (transliterated as Sergei, Sergey, or Sergej depending on the system used) appears in medieval Russian records. It is closely associated with Sergius of Radonezh (died 1392), the monastic reformer and founder of the Trinity monastery north of Moscow, who took the name when he entered the monastic life; he is among the most venerated saints of the Russian church. Common Russian short forms include Seryozha and Seryoga.
The same Latin root produced Sergio in Italian and Spanish, Serge in French, Siergiej in Polish, and Serhiy in Ukrainian, each shaped by the sound patterns of its own language rather than by direct borrowing from Russian.
How Popular is the Name Sergei?
Sergei 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 1998. Its best rank was #3,068 in 1952.
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 | #13,577 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #9,544 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #13,711 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #11,900 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #9,529 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #13,713 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #7,465 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #10,573 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #6,645 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #10,782 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #10,836 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #9,621 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #7,341 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #7,554 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #8,784 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #8,494 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #8,313 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #10,339 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #5,530 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #5,596 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #4,378 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1997 | #4,907 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #4,837 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #10,055 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #8,620 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #6,058 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #9,387 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1990 | #9,275 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #9,009 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1985 | #7,405 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #6,122 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #7,117 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #4,242 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #5,877 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #5,616 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #4,313 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #3,783 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #3,496 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #4,441 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #4,536 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1962 | #3,973 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,316 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #3,931 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,874 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #4,317 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1953 | #3,745 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,068 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #4,178 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #3,950 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1942 | #3,515 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1925 | #4,126 | 6 | 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.
