boy's name
Saint
SAYNT
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 9,762
the United States
#267
2025 births
Saint is a boy's name taken directly from the English word, which comes through French from the Latin sanctus, meaning holy or consecrated. It belongs to the small group of virtue and status words used as names, and its recent rise is very recent indeed.
- Saint is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,309 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,533 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1891.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Saint over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 22 |
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 87 |
| 1920s | 117 |
| 1930s | 74 |
| 1940s | 66 |
| 1950s | 67 |
| 1960s | 12 |
| 1970s | 33 |
| 1980s | 36 |
| 1990s | 38 |
| 2000s | 129 |
| 2010s | 1,033 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,757 |
What Saint means
Saint means holy. The word describes someone recognized as exceptionally close to God, and in ordinary speech it has long been used more loosely for anyone of unusual patience or goodness.
Where Saint comes from
Saint comes through Old French saint from the Latin sanctus, the past participle of sancire, to consecrate or make sacred. In early Christian use the word applied to all believers before it narrowed to those formally recognized by the church, a process that only became a centralized papal procedure in the twelfth century. The word entered English naming first as a surname element — Saint-Clair, Saint-John — attached to families holding land near a dedicated church. Its use as a standalone given name is a modern American development, part of the same taste for status words that produced King, Legend and Messiah.
Saint in use
Saint appears in our records as far back as 1891 but had almost no real use until the 2010s, and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Saint?
In 2025, Saint was given to 1,309 babies in the United States, ranking #267 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Saint is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Saint
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Saint also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Saint over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Saint
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Saint in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Sainte
Sibling names for Saint
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Saint — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Saint
What does the name Saint mean?
Holy, from the Latin sanctus by way of Old French.
Is Saint a boy's or a girl's name?
It is given almost entirely to boys.
Is Saint a new name?
As a given name, effectively yes. It appears in the records from 1891 but had almost no use until the 2010s.
How popular is the name Saint?
In 2025, Saint was given to 1,309 babies in the United States, ranking #267 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Saint?
Saint has 1 syllable.
When was Saint most popular?
Saint peaked in 2025, when 1,309 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Saint?
Saint is usually shortened to Sain.
Is Saint a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Saint currently ranks #267 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.