Not too many nicknames have become more popular than the name they derive from – but Sadie has done just that. Sadie is a pet name for Sarah, but is becoming a star in its own right.
Sarah is a Hebrew girl's name meaning "woman of high rank" or "princess." In the Bible, Sarah is the wife of Abraham, a patriarch of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
Although Sarah is Hebrew in origin, it's believed that the nickname Sadie originated in the United States. Exactly how the term of endearment for Sarah became a proper first name isn't completely understood. One theory is that Sadie started from an American nursery rhyme. Or, perhaps, it came about in the same way Chuck (Charles), Jack (John), Sandra (Alexandra), and Peggy (Margaret) did – through random occurrences.
Regardless of its origin, Sadie's popularity has grown over the years. In fact, Sadie has performed better than Sarah during some years. For example, in 2020, Sadie ranked 10 spots higher than Sarah in the top 1,000 girl's names according to the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Sadie has made the top 1,000 girl's names in the U.S. nearly every year since 1900, though it's had its ups and downs. It was in the top 100 names when it first entered the list, but slowly declined in popularity throughout the 1900s, eventually falling off the list of top 1,000 names entirely from 1966 to 1973.
Sadie's made a comeback since then, breaking into the top 500 once again in 1989 and even surging into the top 100 in 2013, where it's stayed ever since.
It seems Sadie also benefited from the popularity of celebrity baby names: Comedian Adam Sandler has a daughter named Sadie born in 2006, and actress Christina Applegate named her daughter Sadie in 2011.
With vintage vibes and modern appeal, Sadie is here to stay.
Josephine "Sadie" Earp : Common-law wife of Wyatt Earp, the famed Old West lawman
Sadie "Elizabeth" Holloway Marston : Psychologist who helped create a groundbreaking lie detector test, and the inspiration behind the DC Comics character Wonder Woman
Sadie Kneller Miller : One of the first female sports journalists
Sadie Peterson Delaney : Librarian who helped develop bibliotherapy, a type of therapy that uses reading to heal
Sadie Robertson Huff : American reality TV star known for her role on Duck Dynasty
Sadie Sink : American actress known for playing Max on the Netflix show Stranger Things
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander : First African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in the U.S.
Sarah "Sadie" Williams : English poet and novelist known for her work "The Old Astronomer"
Sadie Daniel : published author
Sadie Frost : actress
Sadie Brown : singer