Saffron
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- SAF-ron
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,247 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #6,545 for girls
Saffron is a girls' name of English origin, meaning “saffron, the golden spice”. In 2025 it ranked 1,247th for girls in the UK (27 babies) and 6,545th for girls in the US (17 babies).
What does Saffron mean?
English: spice name, from Arabic za'faran via French
“saffron, the golden spice”
The name of the golden spice taken from a crocus flower; the word reached English through French from Arabic.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Saffron a girl's or a boy's name?
Saffron is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 27 girls in the UK and 17 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Saffron in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,247among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 27about 1 in 10,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 37% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 27 girls in the UK were named Saffron, making it the 1,247th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 730th. Its busiest year was 2000, with 371 girls.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the fewest girls named Saffron since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Saffron in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2010. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,197th in England and Wales.
Saffron in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | #1,247 |
| 2024 | 34 | #1,066 |
| 2023 | 56 | #699 |
| 2022 | 61 | #668 |
| 2021 | 62 | #675 |
| 2020 | 55 | #730 |
| 2019 | 58 | #728 |
| 2018 | 73 | #617 |
| 2017 | 52 | #817 |
| 2016 | 67 | #678 |
| 2015 | 67 | #663 |
| 2014 | 91 | #522 |
| 2013 | 89 | #521 |
| 2012 | 108 | #459 |
| 2011 | 137 | #377 |
| 2010 | 124 | #400 |
| 2009 | 111 | #430 |
| 2008 | 147 | #342 |
| 2007 | 162 | #315 |
| 2006 | 197 | #270 |
| 2005 | 195 | #257 |
| 2004 | 234 | #220 |
| 2003 | 262 | #202 |
| 2002 | 296 | #164 |
| 2001 | 285 | #168 |
| 2000 | 371 | #141 |
| 1999 | 327 | #160 |
| 1998 | 269 | #178 |
| 1997 | 230 | #212 |
| 1996 | 167 | #258 |
How popular is Saffron in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #6,545among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 17about 1 in 95,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 1% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 17 girls in the US were named Saffron, making it the 6,545th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,663rd. Its busiest year was 2006, with 36 girls. It first appears in the records in 1974.
2025 had fewer girls named Saffron than any year since 2013.
Half of all the girls named Saffron in the US since 1880 were born between 2004 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
Saffron in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #6,545 |
| 2024 | 23 | #5,440 |
| 2023 | 29 | #4,652 |
| 2022 | 18 | #6,459 |
| 2021 | 26 | #4,960 |
| 2020 | 21 | #5,663 |
| 2019 | 26 | #5,039 |
| 2018 | 21 | #5,781 |
| 2017 | 21 | #5,817 |
| 2016 | 30 | #4,631 |
| 2015 | 22 | #5,831 |
| 2014 | 25 | #5,308 |
| 2013 | 16 | #7,368 |
| 2012 | 34 | #4,294 |
| 2011 | 29 | #4,806 |
| 2010 | 26 | #5,245 |
| 2009 | 27 | #5,225 |
| 2008 | 27 | #5,277 |
| 2007 | 30 | #4,806 |
| 2006 | 36 | #4,072 |
| 2005 | 26 | #4,954 |
| 2004 | 20 | #5,965 |
| 2003 | 14 | #7,575 |
| 2002 | 27 | #4,494 |
| 2001 | 22 | #5,169 |
| 2000 | 32 | #3,881 |
| 1999 | 14 | #6,830 |
| 1998 | 12 | #7,527 |
| 1997 | 15 | #6,158 |
| 1996 | 9 | #8,807 |
| 1995 | 11 | #7,509 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 5 | #13,435 |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 5 | #11,320 |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 5 | #10,409 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 5 | #8,773 |
Nicknames for Saffron
- Saffy
Names like Saffron
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Summer Safa Ellie Maddison Zainab Chloe Zoe Scarlett Sophie Seren Salma Ayah
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Saffron: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/saffron, updated 20 October 2026.