Sage
/seɪdʒ/
An English word for a wise person, and a herb
English · English word sage
A kitchen herb and an old word for a wise person. It passed 1,000 girls a year only in 2017; in 2025 there were 1,853.
Sage at a glance
What Sage means
An English word for a wise person, and a herb — English word sage
Sage comes from the English word sage, mainly in the sense of a wise person, though it may also point to the herb. Name references give the meaning as “wise one”, “prophet” or “herb”, so the name carries several shades at once.
The herb is common sage, a small evergreen shrub grown for cooking. In classical philosophy a sage is someone who has reached wisdom, which is the second picture the name brings with it.
In the Social Security files Sage first appears in 1963, but it stayed under 100 girls a year until 1990. It passed 1,000 in 2017. It peaked at 2,014 in 2022, and in 2025 it is #160 with 1,853 girls.
Source and context
The name history comes from Wikipedia, the people from linked Wikipedia pages, and every number from US Social Security data. We rewrite everything in our own words.
- Paragraph 1 Wikipedia: Sage (name)
- Paragraph 2 Wikipedia: Sage (disambiguation)
- Paragraph 3 US Social Security Administration
- Note Wikipedia: Sage (disambiguation)
The numbers behind Sage
A look at the rankings over time and across places.
How Sage ranks for girls and for boys
How Sage ranks among girls and boys’ names each year, 2015 to 2025. A lower number means more popular.
Among girls, Sage’s rank climbed from #369 in 2015 to a best of #142 in 2023, then eased to #160 in 2025. It moved down 14 places in 2025.
Among boys, Sage’s rank climbed from #647 in 2015 to a best of #387 in 2022, then eased to #456 in 2025. It moved down 42 places in 2025.
Milestones on the way up
- 1990First 100 girls
115 girls - 2000First top 500
#489 among girls · 557 girls - 2017Passed 1,000
1,049 girls · rank #312 - 2022Most babies
2,014 girls · rank #143 - 2025Latest year
#160 among girls · 1,853 girls
States where Sage ranks highest
Ranked by how popular Sage is among girls’ names in each state in 2025 (in-state rank, not births per head). Hawaii ranks Sage highest (#41 among girls), then Wyoming (#41) and Utah (#49). Idaho, Maine, North Dakota, the District of Columbia and Montana complete the top eight, and five of the eight are Mountain West or Plains states.
- 1Hawaii#41
- 2Wyoming#41
- 3Utah#49
- 4Idaho#66
- 5Maine#81
- 6North Dakota#87
- 7District of Columbia#89
- 8Montana#101
Sage across the decades
Babies named Sage in the US each year, 1880 to 2025.
Rare until 2017,
then climbing to #160.
First recorded in 1963. It reached 890 in 2015, passed 1,000 girls in 2017 and stood at 1,853 in 2025.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national baby name data, 1880–2025. Calculation: NameMochi.
Find a name
that fits
Tell us what you’re looking for: short, unisex, rising, nature-inspired, or something completely different.
More ways to explore Sage
Sibling names
Pick the name you already love. We suggest names with a similar length, style and popularity, and a different first letter.
Nickname ideas
Type a full name and get ideas built from its letters. Ideas that are also real given names show how many babies got them.
Sounds like
Find names that sound close to one you like, including different spellings of the same sound.
Initials check
See the initials of a full name, and whether they spell something you would rather avoid.
The story around Sage
Notable people and namesakes
Well-known bearers include the American rapper Sage Francis (born 1976), the American snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg (born 1993), the American mixed martial artist Sage Northcutt (born 1996), the American actor Sage Stallone (1976–2012) and the American television host Sage Steele (born 1972).
Names like Sage
Other plant and nature names, and short names with a calm sound.
Compare names
Four names compared here, ranked among girls: Sage (#160), River (#220), Rory (#230), Rowan (#249). All of them have gained ground since 2015.
| Name | Style | Latest rank | Change since 2015 | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage | Nature · One syllable · Modern | #160 | ↑ 209 places | Rising fast |
| Rowan | Tree name | #249 | ↑ 82 places | Rising, off its peak |
| River | Water name | #220 | ↑ 128 places | Rising, off its peak |
| Rory | Irish name | #230 | ↑ 453 places | Rising fast |
Change is the move in rank since 2015, so a name can climb in rank while fewer babies are given it.
Stage compares the number of babies named in 2025 with 2015 (rising or cooling at 25% or more, fast at 50% or more).
What draws people to Sage
- A plant name with a second meaning, wise.Our view
- Short and soft, with a calm sound.Our view
- About 1,900 girls were given the name in 2025.From the data
- Shared across genders: 73% of Sages are girls and 27% boys.From the data
- Familiar from the kitchen garden and from everyday speech.Our view
Things to consider
- For boys it is much rarer: 684 boys against 1,853 girls in 2025, so Sage is far more often met as a girl’s name.Our view
- Its rise is recent: 51% of all babies ever recorded as Sage in the US were born since 2015.From the data
Common questions about Sage
Is Sage a boy’s name or a girl’s name?
Sage is used for both girls and boys, though mostly girls. In 2025, 73% of babies named Sage were girls (1,853) and 27% were boys (684). It ranks #160 for girls and #456 for boys.
What does Sage mean?
Sage comes from the English word sage, usually in the sense of a wise person, though it may also refer to the herb. Name references list “wise one”, “prophet” and “herb”.
How common is the name Sage?
Uncommon but no longer rare. In 2025, 2,537 American babies were named Sage, so it is not common in most classrooms.
Is Sage still rising?
It peaked in 2022 with 2,014 girls and has eased since, to 1,853 in 2025. Over ten years it is still up 96%.
Who are some people named Sage?
Examples include the rapper Sage Francis, the snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg, the mixed martial artist Sage Northcutt, the actor Sage Stallone and the television host Sage Steele.
Sage is both a kitchen herb and a word for a wise person. See more names on the rise →
How these numbers are built
Sources → Calculations → Limitations
Sources
- The US Social Security Administration’s national and state baby name files, built from Social Security card applications for births in the United States.SSA baby name data
- Data year
- Births through 2025. New data arrives each May, and we recalculate this page then.
- Dates
- Published October 2026. Last updated October 2026.
- Word and history sources
- Name history and the people who share the name come from reference works.Wikipedia: Sage (name)Wikipedia: Sage (disambiguation)
Calculations
- Ranks
- A rank is the name’s position among girls or among boys in the SSA file for that year (most babies = #1). Girls and boys are ranked separately.
- Counts
- Babies given exactly this spelling. Spelling variants are counted separately.
- Growth, peaks, milestones, shares and comparisons are calculated by NameMochi from those files.How NameMochi calculates
- Stat cards
- The five cards are the most informative facts available for this name, picked by a score and shown in a fixed order.
Limitations
- US births only. The files record the sex shown on the application, which says nothing about how a child later identifies. Names given to fewer than five babies in a year are left out.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Calculation: NameMochi.