Given name & surname
Sahara
“of the desert”
Sahara is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “of the desert.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “of the desert.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1964. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sahara through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,734
- 5 boys · 4,729 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 248 babies
- 2025
- 98
- #1,978 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 98 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,978 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California and North Carolina shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (11 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,133 as a first name in 2020; 168 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Sahara’s family of names
Sahara has a related form in Sahra. Sahara has a related form in Sahira. Sahara has a related form in Saharah.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Saharivariant
- Sahravariant
- Sahiravariant
- Saharrahvariant
- Saharravariant
- Saharahvariant
- Sahharalikely variant
- Sahrahvariant
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People named Sahara
- Sahara KhatunBangladeshi politician1943–2020
- Sahara DavenportAmerican drag queen and reality television personality (1984-2012)
- SaharaFilm Heroineborn 1987
- Sahara Sunday SpainAmerican poetborn 1991
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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