Given name & surname
Sarai
“one who is contentious and argumentative”
Sarai is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who is contentious and argumentative.”
Original Hebrewשָׂרַי
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “one who is contentious and argumentative.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In English usage, Sarai developed from שרי.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Sarai appears in Genesis 20:12.
From biblical name research
Sarai through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 22,925
- 6 boys · 22,919 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 818 babies
- 2025
- 733
- #425 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 733 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 425 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 818 in 2007. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (91). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 18,137 as a first name in 2020; 322 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.
Sarai’s family of names
In English usage, Sarai developed from the Hebrew form שרי. Sarai has a related form in Saray. Sarai has a related form in Sarae.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Sarai has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- שריroot · Hebrew
- שָׂרַיHebrew
- Saraequivalent
- KalaiHawaiian
- ساراequivalent
- SarajPolish
- सारायMarathi
- SáraíIrish
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See also 10
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Sarahshares a root
- Israelshares a root
- Sharonshares a root
- Seraiahshares a root
- Serahshares a root
- Tyrannusshares a root
- Sherebiahshares a root
- Shararshares a root
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People named Sarai
- Sarai LinderGerman association football playerborn 1999
- Sarai GivatyIsraeli actress, musician and modelborn 1982
- Sarai TzurielIsraeli dub actorborn 1952
- Sarai Gascón MorenoSpanish swimmerborn 1992
- Sarai Sanchez CastilloVenezuelan chess playerborn 1981
- Sarai ShermanAmerican artist (1922–2013)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Sarai, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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