Saray
An Arabic name meaning "highest point" or "palace".
Name Census estimates that about 2,244 living Americans carry the first name Saray. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Saray today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saray births was 2007 (121 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saray. 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 Saray with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 152,743 Americans
Peak year
2007
121 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,797
Tracked since 1974
Census
Saray in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,415 people with the first name Saray, which placed it at #6,596 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
#6,596
National first-name rank
People counted
2.4K
2,415 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
89.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saray
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Saray is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Saray 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 Saray at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.0% · 2,150
- White3.6% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 84
- Black or African American2.8% · 67
- Two or more races0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Popularity
Saray: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Saray from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 965 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Saray 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 Saray during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sarays live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Saray, while Nevada, Colorado, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 119 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Saray
The name Saray has its origins in the Turkish language, and it is believed to have been derived from the Persian word "saray," which means "palace" or "court." This name's roots can be traced back to the ancient Ottoman Empire, where it was commonly used among the aristocracy and royalty.
During the Ottoman era, which spanned from the 13th to the 20th century, the name Saray was often given to girls born within the imperial palace or harem. It was seen as a symbol of grandeur and opulence, reflecting the luxurious lifestyle of the ruling class. The name's association with palaces and courts also implied a sense of elegance and refinement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Saray can be found in the Ottoman court records from the 15th century. These records document several women bearing the name, including Saray Hatun, the daughter of Sultan Mehmed II, who ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1444 to 1481.
Throughout the centuries, the name Saray has been carried by notable figures in various fields. One such individual was Saray Mehmed Pasha, a 16th-century Ottoman statesman and grand vizier who served under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Another prominent bearer of the name was Saray Halil Pasha, a 17th-century Ottoman military commander and diplomat.
In more recent history, Saray Munro (1880-1957) was a British actress and dancer who achieved fame in the early 20th century for her performances in musical comedies and revues. Additionally, Saray Khumalo (born 1959) is a South African singer and songwriter known for her contribution to the Mbaqanga music genre.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Saray is Saray Agha (1595-1659), a 17th-century Ottoman calligrapher and poet renowned for her exceptional calligraphic skills and literary works. Her artistry and creativity have left a lasting impact on the world of Ottoman calligraphy and literature.
Despite its Turkish and Persian origins, the name Saray has transcended cultural boundaries and has been adopted in various parts of the world. Its association with grandeur, elegance, and royalty has made it a popular choice among parents seeking a name with a rich historical and cultural significance.
People
Saray + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saray 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
Saray: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saray?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,244 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saray 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 152,743 US residents.
Is Saray a common name?
We classify Saray as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,288 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saray most popular?
The single biggest year for Saray was 2007, when 121 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saray is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Saray in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,415 people with the name Saray, or 0.80 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,596 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 Saray 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 Saray?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Saray leans strongly female. 2,348 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 60 male bearers (2.5%). 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 Saray?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Saray is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Saray most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Saray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (2,150 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 Saray in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Saray a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saray 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 Saray still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Saray 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 Saray 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 are called Saray?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.