Fun Facts About the Name Sinai
- More than 2 thousand babies named Sinai: U.S. records list 2,534 babies given the name Sinai from 1880 through 2025. Even 249 boys received the name Sinai - about 1 boy for every 9 girls.
What Does the Name Sinai Mean?
Sinai comes from the Hebrew place name Sînay (סִינַי), the mountain where, in the biblical account, Moses received the law. Its meaning is not settled. In the Hebrew Bible the word appears only as the name of a mountain and the desert around it, so there is no ordinary Hebrew word behind it that can be translated directly.
Several explanations have been proposed without general agreement. One links it to a Semitic root meaning "tooth" or "peak," describing the jagged granite heights of the mountain range; the Arabic form sīnā' has been connected with that sense. Another derives it from the Mesopotamian moon god Sin, whose worship was once widespread in the region, so that Sinai would mean "mountain of Sin." A third, common in older religious writing, relates it to the Hebrew seneh (סְנֶה), the "burning bush" Moses saw at the mountain in Exodus 3; this appears to be a similarity of sound rather than a true etymology. Because the name may not even be Hebrew in origin, none of these can be confirmed.
Sinai Name History & Origins
In the Hebrew Bible the name belongs to the mountain where Moses receives the law (Exodus 19 - 20) and to the wilderness around it. Other passages call the same mountain Horeb (הֹרֵב), and Jewish and Christian tradition generally treats the two names as one place. The wilderness of Sin in Exodus 16 is a separate name that only sounds similar in English. The Hebrew Sînay passed into Greek as Σινᾶ in the Septuagint and into Latin as Sinai in the Vulgate, the form English inherited.
From the mountain the name spread to the surrounding region. Christian monks settled at the traditional site in late antiquity, and in the sixth century the emperor Justinian I built the fortified monastery there that is now Saint Catherine's Monastery. The peninsula between Egypt and the Holy Land took the mountain's name and is still called Sinai; in Arabic the peak itself is Jabal Mūsā, "Mountain of Moses."
As a personal name, Sinai is used only occasionally. It appears among Jewish families and in Spanish-speaking countries as Sinaí, usually for girls, and it also occurs as a Jewish surname. These uses refer back to the biblical mountain rather than to a separate naming tradition.
How Popular is the Name Sinai?
Sinai 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 2023. Its best rank was #1,933 in 2023.
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 | #2,381 | 76 | 0.0047% |
| 2024 | #2,422 | 75 | 0.0046% |
| 2023 | #1,933 | 103 | 0.0064% |
| 2022 | #2,045 | 95 | 0.0058% |
| 2021 | #3,286 | 49 | 0.0030% |
| 2020 | #2,742 | 61 | 0.0038% |
| 2019 | #2,532 | 70 | 0.0042% |
| 2018 | #2,996 | 55 | 0.0032% |
| 2017 | #2,774 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 2016 | #2,362 | 80 | 0.0045% |
| 2015 | #2,275 | 83 | 0.0047% |
| 2014 | #2,046 | 96 | 0.0054% |
| 2013 | #2,170 | 87 | 0.0050% |
| 2012 | #2,075 | 93 | 0.0053% |
| 2011 | #2,100 | 92 | 0.0052% |
| 2010 | #2,473 | 76 | 0.0043% |
| 2009 | #2,028 | 102 | 0.0056% |
| 2008 | #2,292 | 86 | 0.0045% |
| 2007 | #2,055 | 100 | 0.0052% |
| 2006 | #2,104 | 93 | 0.0049% |
| 2005 | #2,136 | 87 | 0.0047% |
| 2004 | #2,365 | 73 | 0.0040% |
| 2003 | #2,551 | 64 | 0.0035% |
| 2002 | #3,059 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2001 | #2,435 | 65 | 0.0036% |
| 2000 | #2,736 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 1999 | #3,184 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1998 | #3,166 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 1997 | #4,642 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1996 | #3,924 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1995 | #3,868 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #5,952 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1993 | #6,579 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #6,271 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #4,473 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #7,246 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #6,909 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #9,128 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,816 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #6,396 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #10,637 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #5,823 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #6,568 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #8,772 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #9,536 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #8,053 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #11,920 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #11,946 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #6,973 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #8,661 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #13,965 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #6,753 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #7,118 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #12,145 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #6,402 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #8,196 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #8,799 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #6,656 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #10,474 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #8,202 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #10,172 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #8,575 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #6,759 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #7,994 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #10,326 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,310 | 5 | 0.0002% |
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.
Explore More Lists with Name Sinai
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with S
Short Girl Names That Start with S
How the Name Sinai 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 intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Sinai's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sinai's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.