Not too many nicknames have become more popular than the name they derive from – but Sadie has done just that. Sadie is a pet name for Sarah, but is becoming a star in its own right.
Sarah is a Hebrew girl's name meaning "woman of high rank" or "princess." In the Bible, Sarah is the wife of Abraham, a patriarch of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
Although Sarah is Hebrew in origin, it's believed that the nickname Sadie originated in the United States. Exactly how the term of endearment for Sarah became a proper first name isn't completely understood. One theory is that Sadie started from an American nursery rhyme. Or, perhaps, it came about in the same way Chuck (Charles), Jack (John), Sandra (Alexandra), and Peggy (Margaret) did – through random occurrences.
Regardless of its origin, Sadie's popularity has grown over the years. In fact, Sadie has performed better than Sarah during some years. For example, in 2020, Sadie ranked 10 spots higher than Sarah in the top 1,000 girl's names according to the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Sadie has made the top 1,000 girl's names in the U.S. nearly every year since 1900, though it's had its ups and downs. It was in the top 100 names when it first entered the list, but slowly declined in popularity throughout the 1900s, eventually falling off the list of top 1,000 names entirely from 1966 to 1973.
Sadie's made a comeback since then, breaking into the top 500 once again in 1989 and even surging into the top 100 in 2013, where it's stayed ever since.
BabyCenter parents love the name, too. Sadie has been among the top 100 girl's names since 2019. (BabyCenter's data comes from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their babies' names with us each year.)
It seems Sadie also benefited from the popularity of celebrity baby names: Comedian Adam Sandler has a daughter named Sadie born in 2006, and actress Christina Applegate named her daughter Sadie in 2011.
With vintage vibes and modern appeal, Sadie is here to stay.
