Sierra
Spanish sierra, “mountain range,” literally a saw, for a jagged ridgeline.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Sierra first shows up in the national records in 1940. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1993 to 2004. Its biggest year was 1998, when 5,841 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 51 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1999, at No. 49. In 2025 it ranked No. 614 for girls. All told, 100,866 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Ciara (34,883), Cierra (27,659), Ciera (11,372), Ciarra (3,352), Siera (2,543), Siara (2,132) (total births since 1880)
Explore Sierra interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 144 | No. 1313 |
| 1950s | 54 | No. 4278 |
| 1960s | 81 | No. 3211 |
| 1970s | 787 | No. 903 |
| 1980s | 8,846 | No. 155 |
| 1990s | 43,638 | No. 49 |
| 2000s | 34,534 | No. 53 |
| 2010s | 9,272 | No. 214 |
| 2020s | 3,241 | No. 508 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.