FastNamesSamantha
Hebrew, Aramaic and English name meaning "Feminine given name created as a compound of Samuel (Hebrew 'God has heard') and the Greek/Aramaic feminine suffix -antha ('flower' or 'blossom').". Ranked 151st for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Samantha
Feminine given name created as a compound of Samuel (Hebrew 'God has heard') and the Greek/Aramaic feminine suffix -antha ('flower' or 'blossom').
Linguistically, Samantha is classified under Hebrew, Aramaic and English naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "suh-MAN-thuh".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Samantha has been given to a total of 592,847 girls. It has also been given to 1,205 boys.
Peak year: Samantha reached its highest relative share among girls in 1991, when 25,651 babies received the name (13,680 per million births).
All-time best rank: 3rd place, first achieved in 1998.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 151st with 1,973 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 40th (down 111 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Samantha in the 1990s than in any other decade (224,023 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 159 |
| 1890s | 174 |
| 1900s | 135 |
| 1910s | 181 |
| 1920s | 186 |
| 1930s | 175 |
| 1940s | 292 |
| 1950s | 486 |
| 1960s | 11,027 |
| 1970s | 28,906 |
| 1980s | 121,124 |
| 1990s | 224,023 |
| 2000s | 134,313 |
| 2010s | 56,929 |
| 2020s | 14,737 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Samantha is most common in the US
Accounting for when Samantha was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Vermont: 1.6 times the national rate (1,313 births since 1910).
- New Hampshire: 1.6 times the national rate (3,140 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 1.5 times the national rate (931 births since 1910).
- Delaware: 1.4 times the national rate (1,743 births since 1910).
- Rhode Island: 1.4 times the national rate (2,383 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Samantha?
About 580,000 living American girls and women share the name Samantha. Additionally, an estimated 1,200 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Samantha is 31 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Samantha
Samantha emerged in the eighteenth century in the American colonies and provincial England, created as an inventive feminine counterpart to the traditional Hebrew name Samuel (Shemu'el, meaning 'name of God' or 'God has heard'). Onomastic scholars note that the suffix was influenced by Greek anthos ('flower'), found in classical feminine names like Anthea and Diantha, resulting in an evocative blend of biblical resonance and floral charm.
Early records of Samantha appear in colonial New England and the American South in the late 1700s. The name attained widespread international recognition in the mid-1960s with the broadcast of the hit television sitcom Bewitched, whose charismatic spell-casting protagonist Samantha Stephens (played by Elizabeth Montgomery) made the name a household staple across America and the English-speaking world.
In United States vital statistics, Samantha staged a phenomenal multi-decade run. Entering the national top fifty in 1976, it climbed inexorably to join the national top ten in 1988, remaining in the top ten for eleven consecutive years through 1998, peaking at rank 3 nationwide in 1991, 1992, and 1993, with over 25,000 newborn girls per year.
Notable people named Samantha
- Samantha Power (1970–), American diplomat, academic, author, and Pulitzer Prize winner
- Samantha Morton (1977–), English two-time Academy Award-nominated actress and director
- Samantha Bee (1969–), Canadian-American comedian, writer, and television host
- Samantha Smith (1972–1985), American child peace activist and Goodwill Ambassador
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 239.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 263.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.