Sabrina is a feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "from the river Severn." It is derived from the Roman name Sabrinas, which was a reference to the River Severn in England. The name Sabrina gained popularity in the late 1950s after Audrey Hepburn played the title role in the film "Sabrina," based on the novel by Samuel A. Taylor.
The name has been used in literature and popular culture throughout history. In ancient British poetry, Sabrina was a spirit of the River Severn who granted blessings to those who honored her. In more recent times, Sabrina Fairchild was the charming maid turned princess in the play "Sabrina Fair," which later became the film starring Audrey Hepburn.
Overall, the name Sabrina has a rich history and meaning that traces back to ancient Roman times. It is a unique and elegant name choice for a girl.
The name Sabrina has a fascinating history of usage in the United States, as reflected in these annual birth statistics from 1916 to 2023.
In the early years, the name was quite uncommon, with fewer than 10 births recorded each year between 1916 and 1947. However, starting in 1948, there was a significant increase in popularity, reaching double digits for the first time that year.
The real surge in popularity happened in the mid-1950s, with a remarkable jump from 22 births in 1952 to 1,120 births in 1955. This trend continued throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, with Sabrina consistently ranking among the top 100 girl names each year.
The peak of popularity for the name Sabrina was reached in the late 1960s to early 1970s. In 1967, there were a whopping 2,628 births, marking the highest point on this chart. This high level of popularity persisted through much of the 1970s, with over 2,000 births recorded each year between 1969 and 1977.
However, starting in the late 1970s, there was a gradual decline in the usage of the name Sabrina. Although it remained moderately popular throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, with around 2,000 to 3,000 births each year, its rank among girl names started to fall.
This downward trend continued into the new millennium, with fewer than 1,000 births recorded each year between 2005 and 2014. Since then, the name Sabrina has experienced a slight resurgence in popularity, with around 700 to 800 births per year from 2015 to 2023.
In total, over the period from 1916 to 2023, there were 140,750 girls named Sabrina born in the United States. This data showcases the dynamic history of a name that has seen significant fluctuations in popularity over the course of a century.