It’s a gender neutral nature name, gentle and smart all at once.
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Sage as our Baby Name of the Day.
Sage occupies a middle ground between the twentieth century girl’s staple Paige and nouveau names for boys like Gage. On sound alone, it is difficult to guess if Sage goes to Team Pink or Team Blue.
While botanical choices almost always lean feminine, that’s less true for spices – think of Basil.
The herb gets its name from the Latin salvus – healthy – via the Old French sauge and Old English sawge. It has been said to remedy of host of ailments, and was once common in kitchen gardens for both cooking and for use in home remedies. Apparently, an old saying went like this: Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto? In English: Why should a man die while sage grows in his garden?
Despite this noble description, sage’s other meaning – wise – comes from a completely separate source: the Latin sapere. The idea that a sage is a wise man traces to the fourteenth century, and was originally applied to a group of seven Ancient Greek philosophers and rulers.
But dig a little deeper, and there’s an appealing nuance to sage. It isn’t just about book smarts, but about taste and judgment, too. The Latin sapere originally meant “to taste.” Sap – liquid from a plant – shares the same root. This almost puts sage in the same category as modern virtue names like True.
The Seven Sages names would be wildly different today: Cleobulus, Thales, Periander, anyone? – but Sage has been gaining use for decades.
New York Giants’ quarterback Sage Rosenfels and Sylvester Stallone’s son Sage Stallone – now an actor, just like dad – were both born in the 1970s. But so was female ESPN correspondent Sage Steele.
Sage entered the US Top 1000 for boys in 1991. It would be two years before Sage charted on the girls’ side.
But as of 2009, Sage ranked #761 for boys, and appears to be falling. On the girls’ side, Sage stood at #396, and shows signs of climbing. You may come across Saige and Sayge for either gender.
Despite evidence that Sage has gone to the girls, I suspect we’re one or two high profile Sages away from that being definitive. Should Pink or the Jolie-Pitts choose Sage for a son, that would change things. For now, the most high profile use of the name I can think of is Rebecca Woolf’s son, Archer Sage. It’s a great combination of the masculine and the less agressive.
Overall, Sage is a shape-shifter, equally at home on a son or a daughter. A humble nature name with intellectual overtones, a single-syllable, twentieth-century discovery with complex, ancient roots. There’s much to love about Sage.
PeachyPerson says
August 1, 2017 at 10:01 PMI adore the name Sage! It’s a great name with multiple meanings and I love that it’s gender neutral! I actually picked Sage for my chosen name when I figured out that I identify as Non-binary! 🙂
Vida says
January 25, 2015 at 10:30 PMSage a lovely lady’s name.
Saffa says
September 14, 2011 at 11:35 AMADORE Sage for a girl. I’ve known men named Basil (multiple) for instance, and they were so far from being hippy or perceived as hippy, that Sage is more in the same category as Violet for me than a hippy-esque meadow.
Cara says
June 16, 2011 at 6:30 PMCrazily enough, Pink did use Sage for her baby, in the middle. Except it was for her daughter!!
SkyeRhyly says
December 23, 2010 at 7:13 PMSage is team blue all the way. And I think I should mention Paige used to be team blue too, one of the many names to switch teams over the years.
Lyndsay says
December 23, 2010 at 3:10 PMI like Sage for a girl, not at all for a boy. For me, Sage is a more interesting Jane.
caroline says
December 24, 2010 at 4:00 PMOooh, for me I would find a baby Jane much more interesting than a baby Sage at this stage.
Charlotte Vera says
December 23, 2010 at 2:14 AMBack when I was first getting into names, I imagined having children with somewhat expected first names and then rather-less-expected middles like Sage and Rhaen. At the time I actually thought I was being original. Now I’m a fan of classic middle names (Roseanna’s are Ruth Adeline after all), and prefer more established herb names such as Rosemary and Basil.
Julie says
December 22, 2010 at 10:43 PMI have a friend with a four-old named Sage. When her name was announced I was shocked, since their older kids have timeless, classic names. I’m not sure I like Sage, but I since it feels rather masculine, I like it better as a boy’s name.
chaneltara says
December 22, 2010 at 8:09 PMI really Sage for a boy. I find it too masculine for a girl. Though I feel the same way about Page. Though I suppose it wouldn’t work for me as I already have a Rosemary.
Whitney Gigandet says
December 22, 2010 at 6:14 PMOh, I love Sage. Slightly more for a boy, I think, since they are so shorthanded when it comes to my beloved nature names, but its one of those rare monikers I feel works well on a girl, too. I love how simplistic, mysterious, intelligent, and handsome it is all at once.
In slightly unrelated news, I am happy to announce that there has been a new addition in our close circle of family and friends! My husband’s best friend and his wife welcomed a little boy named Lennox James 🙂
appellationmountain says
December 22, 2010 at 9:07 PMOh, how nice Whitney – just in time for Christmas! And Lennox James is a nice combination of the current and the classic. Congrats to them!
Bewildertrix says
December 22, 2010 at 5:58 PMLess comical than Basil (which I want to love given I OD on the herb in my cooking. Well, attempt at cooking) but, it’s not my thing. Still, perfectly acceptable name for either sex.
Also, given the wise connotation/connection I find it weightier than other common, garden variety names such as Daisy, Lily and Poppy.
Jenna says
December 22, 2010 at 4:51 PMMy cousin picked Sage for her baby. She picked it before she knew that she was having a girl & wanted it either way. I think it’s perfect for a girl, differnt but not so much so for a boy.
rockingfetal says
December 22, 2010 at 12:10 PMIt’s too hippy dippy for me. I have a hard time taking it seriously. I would much rather see it on a boy than a girl… I think. It could be kind of appealing on a teenage boy or young man, but I can’t imagine the name on anyone over 29. Imagine an elderly Sage! In the middle, it seems harmless, and it’s still miles better than Gage.