Sarah Palin's Real Name: Sarah Louise Heath

Quick answer: Sarah Palin's documented original name is Sarah Louise Heath. Britannica lists that form (as "née") and dates her birth to February 11, 1964, in Sandpoint, Idaho. The National Governors Association independently uses Sarah Heath Palin, the same February 11, 1964, date, and a birth state of Idaho (Britannica; National Governors Association).

Real name and early life

She is known professionally as Sarah Palin. Britannica's fact box uses the née form Sarah Louise Heath and a Sandpoint, Idaho, birth on February 11, 1964. The NGA profile uses Sarah Heath Palin, the same date, and "Birth State: Idaho," without naming Sandpoint. Those accounts agree on Heath, the date, and Idaho; Britannica is more specific about the town. The NGA says Sarah Heath Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, graduated from Wasilla High School, has lived in Skagway, Eagle River, and Wasilla, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Britannica independently records the Idaho birth and says the family relocated to Skagway, Alaska, when she was less than a year old, which is compatible with the NGA's 1964 arrival date. After college, Britannica says, she worked as a sports reporter at an Anchorage television station, then entered politics in 1992 on the Wasilla city council and later served six years as mayor, a period that included infrastructure work funded by a sales tax increase. In 2002 she sought the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor and lost, then served briefly on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission before resigning amid an ethics conflict on that panel. In 2006 she defeated Gov. Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and won the general election, becoming, Britannica says, Alaska's youngest governor and the first woman in that office.

Career highlights

The NGA says she made history on December 4, 2006, and lists her term as Alaska governor as December 4, 2006, to July 25, 2009, when she resigned, a Republican. It also notes that John McCain selected her as his vice-presidential running mate, and that before the governorship she served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and as mayor. Britannica independently records her as governor of Alaska from 2006 to 2009 and as McCain's vice-presidential selection in the 2008 election. McCain does not have a live RealNameOf biography and is not linked here.

Name notes for searchers

Sarah Louise Heath is the documented original name in Britannica; the NGA uses Sarah Heath Palin. The professional name is Sarah Palin. Searchers looking for the 2006–09 Alaska governor or the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee are usually aiming at the same person.