Sagal
A feminine name of Somali origin meaning "great" or "lofty".
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the first name Sagal. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sagal today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sagal births was 2003 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sagal. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Sagal with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
252
~ 1 in 1,360,136 Americans
Peak year
2003
14 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,173
Tracked since 1994
Census
Sagal in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 414 people with the first name Sagal, which placed it at #23,579 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#23,579
National first-name rank
People counted
414
414 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sagal
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sagal is Black at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%) and White (1.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sagal described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sagal at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.4% · 395
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 10
- White1.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 2
- Two or more races0.2% · 1
Popularity
Sagal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sagal from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 96 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sagal by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sagal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sagals live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sagal
The name Sagal is believed to have originated from the Somali language, which is spoken in the Horn of Africa region, particularly in Somalia, Djibouti, and parts of Ethiopia and Kenya. The name likely derived from the Somali word "sag," which means "to increase" or "to grow."
In Somali culture, names often carry significant meanings and are carefully chosen to reflect hopes, values, or aspirations for the child. The name Sagal may have been given to a child with the intention of wishing for their growth, prosperity, and success in life.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Sagal can be found in the Somali oral tradition, which includes folktales, proverbs, and poetry passed down through generations. These oral traditions often featured characters with names like Sagal, reflecting the cultural significance of names in Somali society.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sagal. One such figure was Sagal Baalle, a legendary Somali warrior queen who lived in the 16th century and fought to defend her people against invaders. Her courage and leadership earned her a place in Somali folklore and history.
Another prominent Sagal was Sagal Moussa Hassan, a Somali politician and activist who played a key role in the Somali independence movement in the mid-20th century. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and worked tirelessly to promote education and social progress in her country.
In the realm of literature, Sagal Farah Ali is a contemporary Somali writer and poet whose works explore themes of identity, diaspora, and the complexities of the Somali experience. Her poetry collections have received critical acclaim and have been translated into multiple languages.
Sagal Mohamoud is a Somali-American fashion model and activist who has used her platform to raise awareness about issues affecting the Somali community, such as refugees and human rights. She has been featured in various fashion campaigns and has been recognized for her advocacy work.
Sagal Ahmed is a Somali-Canadian entrepreneur and founder of the successful lifestyle brand, Sagal.co. Her brand celebrates and promotes Somali culture and traditions, empowering young Somalis to embrace their heritage while navigating modern life.
While the name Sagal may have originated in the Somali language and culture, it has transcended borders and gained recognition in various parts of the world, particularly among communities with Somali diaspora populations. The name continues to be a symbol of growth, resilience, and cultural pride.
People
Sagal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sagal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sagal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sagal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 252 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sagal going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,360,136 US residents.
Is Sagal a common name?
We classify Sagal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 255 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sagal most popular?
The single biggest year for Sagal was 2003, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sagal is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sagal in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 414 people with the name Sagal, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,579 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sagal in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sagal?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sagal leans strongly female. 405 people counted with this name were female (98.1%), compared with 8 male bearers (1.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sagal?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sagal is Black at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%) and White (1.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sagal most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Sagal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (395 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sagal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sagal a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sagal in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sagal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sagal in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sagal can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Sagal as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.