At a glance
- In short
- Saint is an English word name from the Latin sanctus, meaning holy.
- U.S. rank 2025
- #267 of boy names
- Babies in 2025
- 1,286 (0.070% of boys)
- Trend
- Rising #571 in 2020 to #267 in 2025
- Peak
- #267 in 2025
- Top state
- #66 in the District of Columbia
- First recorded
- 1896
Meaning of Saint
Saint is an English word name from the noun saint, which came into English through Old French from the Latin sanctus, meaning holy or consecrated. It is pronounced SAYNT, rhyming with paint.
In Christian tradition, saint is the title given to people honored for holiness. Examples include Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, and Saint Nicholas of Myra, whose gift giving inspired the legend of Santa Claus. Santo is the Italian and Spanish form.
Saint was a rare name in the United States for more than a century. In 2015 only 40 boys received it. It has risen steadily since, reaching its highest rank yet in 2025, at 267th with 1,286 babies. Among the 1,000 most popular boys' names of 2025, it ranks No. 61 for how fast it climbed from 2016 to 2025.
Popularity of Saint in the U.S.
Saint was the #267 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 1,286 babies. It has been in the top 1,000 since 2018. It first appears in the records in 1896.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1896–2025 88 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,286 | 267 | ▲ 15 |
| 2024 | 1,200 | 282 | ▲ 32 |
| 2023 | 1,061 | 314 | ▲ 45 |
| 2022 | 917 | 359 | ▲ 95 |
| 2021 | 670 | 454 | ▲ 117 |
| 2020 | 488 | 571 | ▲ 164 |
| 2019 | 328 | 735 | ▲ 122 |
| 2018 | 257 | 857 | ▲ 430 |
| 2017 | 141 | 1,287 | ▲ 197 |
| 2016 | 115 | 1,484 | ▲ 1,435 |
| 2015 | 40 | 2,919 | ▲ 378 |
| 2014 | 33 | 3,297 | ▲ 1,016 |
| 2013 | 22 | 4,313 | ▼ 1,016 |
| 2012 | 33 | 3,297 | ▲ 924 |
| 2011 | 23 | 4,221 | ▲ 296 |
| 2010 | 21 | 4,517 | ▼ 239 |
| 2009 | 23 | 4,278 | ▲ 2,115 |
| 2008 | 13 | 6,393 | ▼ 959 |
| 2007 | 16 | 5,434 | ▼ 362 |
| 2006 | 17 | 5,072 | ▲ 1,154 |
| 2005 | 12 | 6,226 | ▼ 1,624 |
| 2004 | 18 | 4,602 | ▲ 3,229 |
| 2003 | 8 | 7,831 | ▲ 1,561 |
| 2002 | 6 | 9,392 | ▼ 149 |
| 2001 | 6 | 9,243 | ▼ 2,927 |
| 2000 | 10 | 6,316 | ▲ 3,596 |
| 1999 | 5 | 9,912 | ▼ 4,446 |
| 1998 | 11 | 5,466 | back (not recorded in 1997) |
| 1996 | 5 | 9,015 | back (not recorded in 1994–1995) |
| 1993 | 8 | 6,228 | back (not recorded in 1992) |
| 1991 | 9 | 5,521 | back (not recorded in 1990) |
| 1989 | 7 | 6,229 | ▲ 197 |
| 1988 | 6 | 6,426 | back (not recorded in 1986–1987) |
| 1985 | 7 | 5,147 | ▲ 414 |
| 1984 | 6 | 5,561 | ▲ 677 |
| 1983 | 5 | 6,238 | back (not recorded in 1982) |
| 1981 | 5 | 6,262 | back (not recorded in 1980) |
| 1979 | 5 | 6,056 | ▼ 1,899 |
| 1978 | 8 | 4,157 | ▲ 1,688 |
| 1977 | 5 | 5,845 | back (not recorded in 1975–1976) |
| 1974 | 8 | 3,837 | ▲ 217 |
| 1973 | 7 | 4,054 | back (not recorded in 1970–1972) |
| 1969 | 7 | 3,595 | back (not recorded in 1962–1968) |
| 1961 | 5 | 4,066 | back (not recorded in 1960) |
| 1959 | 5 | 3,988 | ▼ 1,170 |
| 1958 | 9 | 2,818 | ▲ 439 |
| 1957 | 7 | 3,257 | back (not recorded in 1956) |
| 1955 | 11 | 2,435 | ▲ 1,017 |
| 1954 | 6 | 3,452 | ▼ 743 |
| 1953 | 9 | 2,709 | ▼ 29 |
| 1952 | 9 | 2,680 | back (not recorded in 1951) |
| 1950 | 11 | 2,321 | ▲ 977 |
| 1949 | 6 | 3,298 | ▼ 855 |
| 1948 | 10 | 2,443 | ▲ 419 |
| 1947 | 8 | 2,862 | back (not recorded in 1946) |
| 1945 | 6 | 2,996 | back (not recorded in 1944) |
| 1943 | 7 | 2,964 | ▼ 441 |
| 1942 | 9 | 2,523 | ▼ 526 |
| 1941 | 13 | 1,997 | ▲ 874 |
| 1940 | 7 | 2,871 | ▲ 242 |
| 1939 | 6 | 3,113 | ▼ 245 |
| 1938 | 7 | 2,868 | ▲ 650 |
| 1937 | 5 | 3,518 | ▼ 371 |
| 1936 | 6 | 3,147 | ▲ 498 |
| 1935 | 5 | 3,645 | ▼ 1,252 |
| 1934 | 10 | 2,393 | ▲ 345 |
| 1933 | 8 | 2,738 | ▲ 623 |
| 1932 | 6 | 3,361 | ▲ 402 |
| 1931 | 5 | 3,763 | ▼ 171 |
| 1930 | 6 | 3,592 | back (not recorded in 1929) |
| 1928 | 10 | 2,659 | ▲ 792 |
| 1927 | 7 | 3,451 | ▲ 750 |
| 1926 | 5 | 4,201 | ▼ 2,008 |
| 1925 | 14 | 2,193 | ▲ 280 |
| 1924 | 12 | 2,473 | ▼ 453 |
| 1923 | 16 | 2,020 | ▲ 994 |
| 1922 | 9 | 3,014 | ▼ 1,366 |
| 1921 | 22 | 1,648 | ▼ 6 |
| 1920 | 22 | 1,642 | ▲ 1,235 |
| 1919 | 9 | 2,877 | ▼ 879 |
| 1918 | 16 | 1,998 | ▲ 93 |
| 1917 | 14 | 2,091 | ▲ 452 |
| 1916 | 10 | 2,543 | ▼ 359 |
| 1915 | 12 | 2,184 | ▲ 273 |
| 1914 | 8 | 2,457 | back (not recorded in 1908–1913) |
| 1907 | 5 | 1,345 | back (not recorded in 1898–1906) |
| 1897 | 7 | 852 | ▼ 130 |
| 1896 | 10 | 722 | new |
Saint by state
Saint ranks #66 in the District of Columbia (2025).
Rank by state 39 states and DC
| State | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 66 | 12 |
| Georgia | 144 | 83 |
| Hawaii | 146 | 7 |
| Maryland | 153 | 38 |
| Nevada | 171 | 17 |
| Virginia | 185 | 49 |
| Delaware | 203 | 5 |
| Louisiana | 207 | 25 |
| Arizona | 209 | 40 |
| Connecticut | 210 | 16 |
| Texas | 213 | 183 |
| New York | 228 | 87 |
| North Carolina | 233 | 53 |
| South Carolina | 233 | 24 |
| Michigan | 248 | 41 |
| South Dakota | 257 | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 269 | 44 |
| New Jersey | 272 | 33 |
| Massachusetts | 274 | 21 |
| Florida | 275 | 75 |
| Oklahoma | 282 | 17 |
| Idaho | 282 | 9 |
| Oregon | 295 | 14 |
| Wisconsin | 317 | 17 |
| California | 321 | 113 |
| Colorado | 329 | 19 |
| Ohio | 333 | 34 |
| Illinois | 334 | 32 |
| Kentucky | 345 | 14 |
| Utah | 351 | 13 |
| Alabama | 360 | 15 |
| Mississippi | 370 | 8 |
| Indiana | 371 | 20 |
| Missouri | 392 | 16 |
| Arkansas | 398 | 8 |
| Iowa | 399 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 410 | 19 |
| Kansas | 468 | 7 |
| Washington | 529 | 13 |
| Minnesota | 552 | 9 |
Notable people named Saint
- Saint Patrick was a fifth century Romano British missionary bishop, revered across major Christian traditions as the Apostle of Ireland and the primary patron of Ireland, and also patron of Nigeria.
- Saint Nicholas of Myra was a Greek Christian bishop famed for miracles and secret generosity, a patron of many, whose gift giving inspired the legend of Santa Claus.
- Saint George was a Cappadocian born Roman soldier and early Christian martyr, executed under Diocletian and revered across faiths as a military saint.
- Saint Sebastian, an early Christian martyr, survived being shot with arrows and was healed by Irene of Rome, later rebuked Diocletian and was clubbed to death, and is venerated in Catholic and Orthodox churches as the patron of athletics, archery, and plagues.
- Saint Lawrence, one of the seven deacons of Rome under Pope Sixtus II, was martyred in 258 during the persecution of Christians ordered by Emperor Valerian.
- Saint Rosalia — Rosalia, la Santuzza, was a virgin hermit of Monte Pellegrino and patron saint of Palermo and towns in Mexico and Venezuela, invoked against plague and during COVID 19.