Sparrow
Feminine · “the sparrow”
Sparrow is given to both — 1,005 girls and 188 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Sparrow is the English bird, and its name is one of the oldest in the language — spearwa, from a root that meant simply a flutterer.
How old is the name Sparrow?
Sparrow first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Sparrow is a kid of about 8 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,000 people named Sparrow are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sparrow most popular?
Sparrow peaked in 2017, reaching #2160 nationally. Today it ranks #4067, 1,907 places below that high. See the whole 2017 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From spearwa to Sparrow
The story of Sparrow
The sparrow appears in an unusually large number of English texts for so small a bird — Bede's image of a sparrow flying through a lighted hall is one of the best-known passages in early English writing, and the Gospel line about not one falling without notice gave it a permanent place in devotional language. Its use as a given name is recent and American, appearing from the 2010s.
Meaning
the sparrow
From Old English spearwa, from a Germanic root probably meaning to flutter; the bird is named for how it moves rather than for how it looks or sounds, which is unusual among English bird names.
How the name formed
- spearwa
- sparrow
Related forms: Gorrión · Sperling
Pronouncing Sparrow
SPA-roh
Two syllables, first stressed. There is no variation in English.
Nicknames for Sparrow
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
- 1977
- Most girls named
- 201788 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2160reached in 2017
- Change vs 2024
- −23.9%35 in 2025, from 46
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.
Sparrow in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gorrión in Spanish — related form
- Sperling in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Michigan.
Sparrows among us
people named Sparrow are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 45,922 born in 2025 was named Sparrow
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lorissa test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Sparrow's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lorissa climbed just as high around 1970, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lorissa's path sketches the road Sparrow is walking now.
Sparrow 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
Where Sparrow is headed
Sparrow should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Sparrow beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Sparrow in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- An ordinary English word, so nobody has to be taught to say or spell it.
- A genuinely old word with an unbroken thousand-year history.
- The Bede passage and the Gospel line are both worth telling.
- It is a common word and will be read as one rather than as a name at first.
- A film pirate carries it as a surname, which is a strong association.
- Seven letters is a fair amount for early handwriting.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Sparrow to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Sparrow
Feminine · #4067 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Sparrows are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Sparrow are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sparrow in 2025?
- Sparrow ranks #4067 among US girl names in 2025, with 35 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Sparrow?
- About 1 in every 45,922 US girls born in 2025 was named Sparrow — 35 in all.
- Will my child share the name Sparrow with classmates?
- Sparrow will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Sparrow
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Eli#4067 · Peace#4067 · Medina#4067 · Darlin#4067 · Anja#4067 · Liani#4067 · Kaleigha#4067 · Salina#4067
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Sparrow? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Sparrow and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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