Saima
Feminine
Lake Saimaa in Finland has a seal in it. The Saimaa ringed seal was cut off from the sea when the land rose after the last ice age and has been landlocked in fresh water ever since, one of the rarest seals on earth.
How old is the name Saima?
Saima first appears in US birth records in 1896 — 129 years ago. The typical Saima alive today was born around 1994, making them about 31 years old. About 500 people named Saima are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Saima most popular?
Saima peaked in 1911, reaching #1372 nationally. Today it ranks #10107, 8,735 places below that high. See the whole 1911 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Saima
The Saimaa basin is the largest lake system in Finland, a maze of water and islands left behind by the retreating ice sheet. As the land rebounded from the weight of the glaciers, part of the Baltic was cut off, and a population of ringed seals was trapped in what became fresh water. They have been isolated for around eight thousand years, number a few hundred, and are among the most endangered seals in the world. The lake's name is old enough that its meaning is not recoverable, which is common for the largest natural features: the biggest rivers and lakes usually carry the oldest names, inherited from languages spoken before the current one arrived. Finnish naming took Saima from the lake in the nineteenth century, and it reached American records with Finnish immigration.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Saima is a Finnish name associated with Lake Saimaa, whose own name has no established etymology. It is separately an Arabic and Urdu name, from saim, one who fasts. The two are unrelated; which lies behind a given American entry depends on the family. The peak is 1911.
Pronouncing Saima
SY-mah
Two syllables, stress on the first. Finnish stresses the first syllable of every word; the Arabic name is said SAH-ee-mah with three.
Nicknames for Saima
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1896
- Most girls named
- 199821 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1372reached in 1911
- Change vs 2024
- +80.0%9 in 2025, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Saima in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Saima in Finnish — same name
- Saima in Urdu — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York.
Saimas among us
people named Saima are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 178,585 born in 2025 was named Saima
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Saima sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Saima beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Saima in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Five letters and two syllables, spelled as heard.
- It works in Finnish and in Urdu-speaking settings alike.
- The lake behind the Finnish name is real and famous.
- Two unrelated origins share the spelling.
- The Finnish and Arabic pronunciations differ.
- The 1911 peak dates its American use.
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What they receive
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Saima
Feminine · #10107 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Saimas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Saima are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Saima in 2025?
- Saima ranks #10107 among US girl names in 2025, with 9 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Saima?
- About 1 in every 178,585 US girls born in 2025 was named Saima — 9 in all.
- Will my child share the name Saima with classmates?
- Saima will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Saima
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Berta#10107 · Jettie#10107 · Maye#10107 · Osa#10107 · Fidelia#10107 · Alysa#10107 · Su#10107 · Willie#10107
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Saima? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Saima and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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