Girl nameCurrently #127 in the USFalling
Samantha
suh-MAN-thuh//səˈmænθə//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19908 lettersStarts with S
Meaning & origin
Told by God, or listener (uncertain)
Samantha's exact origin is uncertain — it may be a feminine coinage blending Samuel (Hebrew, 'told by God') with the suffix '-antha', or drawn independently as an 18th-century American invention. It has been a widely popular, easygoing classic since the mid-20th century.
Samantha's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Samantha |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 21 |
| 1881 | 12 |
| 1882 | 15 |
| 1883 | 17 |
| 1884 | 16 |
| 1885 | 17 |
| 1886 | 13 |
| 1887 | 16 |
| 1888 | 18 |
| 1889 | 14 |
| 1890 | 15 |
| 1891 | 20 |
| 1892 | 20 |
| 1893 | 20 |
| 1894 | 16 |
| 1895 | 16 |
| 1896 | 18 |
| 1897 | 13 |
| 1898 | 21 |
| 1899 | 15 |
| 1900 | 27 |
| 1901 | 16 |
| 1902 | 15 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 8 |
| 1905 | 12 |
| 1906 | 13 |
| 1907 | 16 |
| 1908 | 13 |
| 1909 | 10 |
| 1910 | 10 |
| 1911 | 15 |
| 1912 | 20 |
| 1913 | 13 |
| 1914 | 20 |
| 1915 | 20 |
| 1916 | 20 |
| 1917 | 23 |
| 1918 | 17 |
| 1919 | 23 |
| 1920 | 26 |
| 1921 | 28 |
| 1922 | 28 |
| 1923 | 22 |
| 1924 | 15 |
| 1925 | 19 |
| 1926 | 9 |
| 1927 | 11 |
| 1928 | 14 |
| 1929 | 14 |
| 1930 | 14 |
| 1931 | 10 |
| 1932 | 16 |
| 1933 | 15 |
| 1934 | 15 |
| 1935 | 22 |
| 1936 | 20 |
| 1937 | 23 |
| 1938 | 17 |
| 1939 | 23 |
| 1940 | 19 |
| 1941 | 20 |
| 1942 | 24 |
| 1943 | 27 |
| 1944 | 24 |
| 1945 | 31 |
| 1946 | 33 |
| 1947 | 30 |
| 1948 | 40 |
| 1949 | 44 |
| 1950 | 35 |
| 1951 | 38 |
| 1952 | 38 |
| 1953 | 31 |
| 1954 | 30 |
| 1955 | 27 |
| 1956 | 29 |
| 1957 | 38 |
| 1958 | 109 |
| 1959 | 111 |
| 1960 | 81 |
| 1961 | 72 |
| 1962 | 74 |
| 1963 | 71 |
| 1964 | 415 |
| 1965 | 1,969 |
| 1966 | 1,793 |
| 1967 | 1,805 |
| 1968 | 2,341 |
| 1969 | 2,432 |
| 1970 | 2,304 |
| 1971 | 2,224 |
| 1972 | 2,228 |
| 1973 | 2,129 |
| 1974 | 2,263 |
| 1975 | 2,846 |
| 1976 | 3,363 |
| 1977 | 3,293 |
| 1978 | 3,906 |
| 1979 | 4,478 |
| 1980 | 4,925 |
| 1981 | 5,533 |
| 1982 | 6,790 |
| 1983 | 7,736 |
| 1984 | 8,061 |
| 1985 | 10,691 |
| 1986 | 14,146 |
| 1987 | 18,015 |
| 1988 | 20,771 |
| 1989 | 24,912 |
| 1990 | 25,926 |
| 1991 | 25,697 |
| 1992 | 24,447 |
| 1993 | 23,702 |
| 1994 | 22,855 |
| 1995 | 21,679 |
| 1996 | 20,586 |
| 1997 | 20,189 |
| 1998 | 20,222 |
| 1999 | 19,078 |
| 2000 | 17,285 |
| 2001 | 15,883 |
| 2002 | 14,694 |
| 2003 | 13,881 |
| 2004 | 13,826 |
| 2005 | 13,659 |
| 2006 | 12,488 |
| 2007 | 11,890 |
| 2008 | 11,204 |
| 2009 | 9,684 |
| 2010 | 8,427 |
| 2011 | 7,398 |
| 2012 | 6,945 |
| 2013 | 6,523 |
| 2014 | 5,747 |
| 2015 | 5,354 |
| 2016 | 4,960 |
| 2017 | 4,337 |
| 2018 | 3,923 |
| 2019 | 3,369 |
| 2020 | 2,955 |
| 2021 | 2,599 |
| 2022 | 2,603 |
| 2023 | 2,368 |
| 2024 | 2,221 |
Samantha through the decades
- Samantha peaked in 1990, when 25,926 babies were named Samantha in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Samantha has fallen 63% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Samantha currently ranks #127 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
SamSammy
Variants & spellings
Samanta
Famous people named Samantha
- Samantha Cameron — UK former first lady