This page is historical. Follow this link for the current version.
Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Sara f. Hebrew שָׂרָה 'princess'.

The name of the Biblical wife of Abraham. Septuagint: Σαρρα; Vulgate: Sara; Wycliffite Bible (1395): Sara.

Her original name was Sarai (in the Vulgate and the Wycliffite Bible; Σαρα in the Septuagint), and in some cases, it is hard to differentiate forms of Sara from forms of Sarai. The usual English spelling of the name was Sara; forms with the intrusive h were always less common. The name was used by both Christians and Jews in the Middle Ages, but was rare outside of Britain and France.

England
Latin
1185x1186 Sarra (nom) PR-XXXVI p. 18; 1279–80 Sara (nom) WaHR-SK p. 43; 1340xc1450 Sara (nom) CovGuild-1 p. 5, Sarra (nom) ibid. p. 22; 1377 Sarra (nom) FenPT-2 p. 4; 1379 Sara (nom) WRYPT1 p. 7; 1381 Sara (abl) Suffolk1381 p. 99, Sarra (nom) FenPT-2 p. 6, Suffolk1381 p. 73; 1568 Sarah (nom) RegSoABap p. 15
Dutch
1572 Sara AuFr Adriaenssen; 1573 Sara ibid. Daneels; 1574 Sara ibid. Carremans; 1575 Sara ibid. Crabbe; 1576 Sara ibid. Beste; 1577 Sara ibid. Bauwens; 1578 Sara ibid. Becks; 1579 Sara ibid. Bogards; 1580 Sara ibid. Beeckmans; 1581 Sara ibid. Gaber; 1582 Sara ibid. Bone, Sarra ibid. Cleijnen; 1583 Sara ibid. Galmardts; 1584 Sara ibid. Franke; 1585 Sara ibid. Clerck; 1586 Sara ibid. Aelbertinck; 1587 Sara ibid. Achtschellinc; 1588 Sara ibid. Beijdaels; 1589 Sara ibid. Gheerarts; 1590 Sara ibid. Anthonissz; 1591 Sara ibid. Bossche; 1592 Sara ibid. Adams; 1593 Sara ibid. Bracht; 1594 Sara ibid. Anyeke; 1595 Sara ibid. Gelarts; 1596 Sara ibid. Clouwens; 1597 Sara ibid. Bertholomeus; 1598 Sara ibid. Aertsz; 1599 Sara ibid. Coudron
Early Modern English
1549 Sarah StAnthonlin p. 8; 1551 Sarah ibid. p. 9; 1552 Sarah ibid. p. 9; 1554 Sarah ibid. p. 10, Sarrah ibid. p. 10; 1561 Sara BarnstapleBap p. 11; 1563 Sarah StAnthonlin p. 15, Saray BarnstapleBap p. 12; 1571 Sara OrpingtonKe p. 3; 1572 Sarah RegSoAMar p. 6, StAnthonlin p. 22; 1573 Sarah ibid. p. 23; 1574 Sarah ibid. p. 23; 1575 Sarah ibid. p. 24; 1577 Sarah ibid. p. 25; 1578 Sarah ibid. p. 26; 1580 Sara bruton1 p. 44; 1583/4 Sara HAmar-vol9 p. 3; 1583 Sarah WAmar-1 p. 16; 1586 Sarah StAnthonlin p. 32, Sarie SaxhamSf p. 4; 1587 Sarah DEmar-vol2 p. 13, StAnthonlin p. 32; 1588 Sarah ibid. p. 33, WAmar-1 p. 98; 1589 Sarah RegSoAMar p. 14; 1590 Sara HAmar-vol9 p. 116, RegFord p. 1, Sarah StAnthonlin p. 34; 1593 Sara BEmar-vol1 p. 16, RegFord p. 2; 1594 Sara BUmar-vol9 p. 8; 1595/6 Sara RegFord p. 3; 1595 Sarah DEmar-vol2 p. 31; 1596 Sara BEmar-vol1 p. 16, Sarah StAnthonlin p. 38; 1597/8 Sara BEmar-vol1 p. 17; 1597 Sara bruton1 p. 55; 1598 Sarah StAnthonlin p. 39; 1599 Sara RegGorton p. 1, Sarae StAnthonlin p. 40
Walloon
1581 Sara RWC p. 3; 1582 Sara ibid. p. 4; 1583 Sara ibid. p. 6; 1583/4 Sara ibid. p. 7; 1590 Sara ibid. p. 13; 1591 Sara ibid. p. 17; 1591/2 Sara ibid. p. 20; 1592 Sara ibid. p. 22; 1592/3 Sara ibid. p. 25; 1593 Sara ibid. p. 26; 1593/4 Sara ibid. p. 30; 1594 Sara ibid. p. 32
France
Latin
1147 Serra (nom) clairvaux-12thc 14; 1179 Sara (abl) ibid. 176; 1301 Sarra (nom) MemPic-vol17 p. 202, Sarre (gen) ibid. p. 202
Middle French
1562 Sarra RegPCC-1 p. 7; 1563 Sara ibid. p. 20, Sarra ibid. p. 37; 1564 Sara ibid. p. 72, Sarra ibid. p. 48; 1565 Sarra ibid. p. 162; 1566 Sarra ibid. p. 204; 1568 Sarra ibid. p. 393; 1570 Sarra ibid. p. 425
Wales
Early Modern English
1594 Sara RegLlantrithyd p. 62
Cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Sara". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2019, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2019/1/name/Sara.