| Delilah | Sadie | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | delicate / languishing (disputed) | Princess |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | dih-LY-lah | SAY-dee |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2024 (4,254) | 2014 (4,871) |
| In 2025 | 4,137 | 4,168 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Delilah | Sadie |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 23,499 | 21,233 |
| 2010s | 25,018 | 36,582 |
| 2000s | 7,610 | 21,328 |
| 1990s | 1,822 | 8,580 |
| 1980s | 1,895 | 3,162 |
| 1970s | 1,477 | 1,754 |
| 1960s | 802 | 1,131 |
| 1950s | 1,633 | 2,437 |
| 1940s | 740 | 4,168 |
| 1930s | 539 | 6,298 |
| 1920s | 605 | 10,846 |
| 1910s | 501 | 12,388 |
| 1900s | 195 | 7,461 |
| 1890s | 209 | 7,398 |
| 1880s | 138 | 4,915 |
Meaning uncertain. Usually traced to the root dalal, 'to hang low, be low, languish, weaken,' giving the common glosses 'delicate' or '(she who) weakened' — and the Samson narrative plays on her bringing him low (Judges 16). Competing proposals include 'temptress' (from an Arabic root) and a shortened theophoric tied to Ishtar; some lexicons simply mark it 'unknown.' Treat as disputed.
A pet form of Sarah, from the Hebrew, “princess.”
Sadie is more popular than Delilah today: about 4,168 US babies were given the name Sadie in 2025, compared with 4,137 named Delilah.
Delilah means delicate / languishing (disputed) (hebrew origin), while Sadie means Princess (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Delilah first appears in 1880 and Sadie in 1880, so Delilah has the longer recorded history.