Fun Facts About the Name Samantha
- An established favorite: Samantha held a place in the U.S. top 100 for 45 consecutive years, from 1976 through 2020.
- More than 594 thousand babies named Samantha: U.S. records list 594,032 babies given the name Samantha from 1880 through 2025. Even 1,205 boys received the name Samantha - about 1 boy for every 492 girls.
What Does the Name Samantha Mean?
Samantha is an English feminine given name. Its origin is not certain, but the usual explanation is that it is a feminine form of Samuel, a Hebrew name. Samuel is derived from the Hebrew elements shem ('name') and El ('God'), or from shama ('he heard') and El, so it is variously understood as 'name of God' or 'God has heard.' If Samantha is a feminine counterpart of Samuel, it carries the same conventional meaning, most often given as 'God has heard.'
The ending -tha in Samantha does not match a standard Hebrew feminine ending, so the link to Samuel is a probable explanation rather than a documented derivation. Another suggestion is that the name was formed in English by combining the short form Sam with the Greek-derived ending -antha, found in names such as Anthea and Ianthe, from Greek anthos ('flower'). That would make Samantha an ornamental English coinage rather than a direct Hebrew feminine. The available evidence does not settle the question.
Samantha Name History & Origins
Samantha is not a biblical name, and it has no attested ancient Hebrew or Greek form. It begins to appear in English-speaking records in the 18th century, especially in North America. It is not a medieval English variant of Samuel, and the short form Sam, though it comes from Samuel, does not by itself explain the full name Samantha.
In the 19th century, the name appeared in American literature. The writer Marietta Holley used Samantha as the narrator of a series of humorous novels in the late 1800s, including Samantha at Saratoga (1887). Earlier records already show the name in use, so the character was not its origin.
In the 20th century, Samantha was the name of the main character in the American television series Bewitched (1964 - 1972). The name was already established before the show. It is now used in many English-speaking countries and has been borrowed into several other languages, usually in the English form.
How Popular is the Name Samantha?
Samantha remained among the top 100 girl names in the U.S. from 1976 to 2020. Its highest annual birth count was in 1990, and people born that year turn 36 in 2026.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #151 | 1,973 | 0.1228% |
| 2024 | #127 | 2,221 | 0.1377% |
| 2023 | #114 | 2,368 | 0.1478% |
| 2022 | #106 | 2,603 | 0.1588% |
| 2021 | #106 | 2,599 | 0.1585% |
| 2020 | #90 | 2,955 | 0.1829% |
| 2019 | #80 | 3,369 | 0.2008% |
| 2018 | #61 | 3,923 | 0.2307% |
| 2017 | #54 | 4,332 | 0.2510% |
| 2016 | #44 | 4,955 | 0.2797% |
| 2015 | #40 | 5,347 | 0.2996% |
| 2014 | #33 | 5,735 | 0.3211% |
| 2013 | #29 | 6,516 | 0.3714% |
| 2012 | #26 | 6,937 | 0.3940% |
| 2011 | #17 | 7,398 | 0.4206% |
| 2010 | #15 | 8,410 | 0.4732% |
| 2009 | #14 | 9,667 | 0.5263% |
| 2008 | #11 | 11,190 | 0.5918% |
| 2007 | #12 | 11,883 | 0.6181% |
| 2006 | #10 | 12,470 | 0.6559% |
| 2005 | #8 | 13,642 | 0.7383% |
| 2004 | #9 | 13,787 | 0.7509% |
| 2003 | #10 | 13,869 | 0.7591% |
| 2002 | #9 | 14,671 | 0.8165% |
| 2001 | #7 | 15,867 | 0.8812% |
| 2000 | #7 | 17,264 | 0.9507% |
| 1999 | #5 | 19,043 | 1.0736% |
| 1998 | #3 | 20,194 | 1.1429% |
| 1997 | #6 | 20,170 | 1.1588% |
| 1996 | #5 | 20,551 | 1.1724% |
| 1995 | #4 | 21,645 | 1.2309% |
| 1994 | #4 | 22,824 | 1.2781% |
| 1993 | #4 | 23,668 | 1.3083% |
| 1992 | #6 | 24,409 | 1.3238% |
| 1991 | #5 | 25,648 | 1.3679% |
| 1990 | #5 | 25,868 | 1.3625% |
| 1989 | #6 | 24,792 | 1.3448% |
| 1988 | #8 | 20,700 | 1.1624% |
| 1987 | #11 | 17,944 | 1.0321% |
| 1986 | #21 | 14,092 | 0.8214% |
| 1985 | #29 | 10,658 | 0.6193% |
| 1984 | #39 | 8,038 | 0.4774% |
| 1983 | #40 | 7,704 | 0.4611% |
| 1982 | #44 | 6,768 | 0.3997% |
| 1981 | #51 | 5,517 | 0.3307% |
| 1980 | #58 | 4,913 | 0.2959% |
| 1979 | #66 | 4,462 | 0.2780% |
| 1978 | #74 | 3,888 | 0.2538% |
| 1977 | #85 | 3,286 | 0.2143% |
| 1976 | #85 | 3,348 | 0.2285% |
| 1975 | #101 | 2,834 | 0.1944% |
| 1974 | #128 | 2,251 | 0.1534% |
| 1973 | #135 | 2,119 | 0.1453% |
| 1972 | #137 | 2,221 | 0.1460% |
| 1971 | #144 | 2,209 | 0.1328% |
| 1970 | #149 | 2,295 | 0.1313% |
| 1969 | #140 | 2,422 | 0.1436% |
| 1968 | #136 | 2,335 | 0.1423% |
| 1967 | #176 | 1,805 | 0.1093% |
| 1966 | #182 | 1,793 | 0.1060% |
| 1965 | #179 | 1,961 | 0.1111% |
| 1964 | #474 | 415 | 0.0219% |
| 1963 | #1,316 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 1962 | #1,292 | 74 | 0.0038% |
| 1961 | #1,318 | 72 | 0.0036% |
| 1960 | #1,216 | 81 | 0.0040% |
| 1959 | #1,004 | 111 | 0.0055% |
| 1958 | #998 | 109 | 0.0054% |
| 1957 | #1,773 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 1956 | #2,046 | 29 | 0.0014% |
| 1955 | #2,095 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1954 | #1,937 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1953 | #1,821 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1952 | #1,575 | 38 | 0.0020% |
| 1951 | #1,553 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1950 | #1,596 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1949 | #1,405 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 1948 | #1,471 | 40 | 0.0024% |
| 1947 | #1,784 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1946 | #1,553 | 33 | 0.0021% |
| 1945 | #1,476 | 31 | 0.0024% |
| 1944 | #1,737 | 24 | 0.0018% |
| 1943 | #1,655 | 27 | 0.0019% |
| 1942 | #1,751 | 24 | 0.0018% |
| 1941 | #1,871 | 20 | 0.0017% |
| 1940 | #1,888 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1939 | #1,628 | 23 | 0.0021% |
| 1938 | #2,010 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1937 | #1,620 | 23 | 0.0022% |
| 1936 | #1,735 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1935 | #1,654 | 22 | 0.0021% |
| 1934 | #2,163 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1933 | #2,138 | 15 | 0.0015% |
| 1932 | #2,110 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1931 | #2,947 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1930 | #2,403 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1929 | #2,407 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1928 | #2,485 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1927 | #3,022 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1926 | #3,512 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #2,108 | 19 | 0.0016% |
| 1924 | #2,497 | 15 | 0.0012% |
| 1923 | #1,889 | 22 | 0.0018% |
| 1922 | #1,608 | 28 | 0.0023% |
| 1921 | #1,612 | 28 | 0.0023% |
| 1920 | #1,661 | 26 | 0.0022% |
| 1919 | #1,736 | 23 | 0.0020% |
| 1918 | #2,191 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1917 | #1,644 | 23 | 0.0021% |
| 1916 | #1,792 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1915 | #1,732 | 20 | 0.0020% |
| 1914 | #1,477 | 20 | 0.0026% |
| 1913 | #1,749 | 13 | 0.0021% |
| 1912 | #1,211 | 20 | 0.0036% |
| 1911 | #1,226 | 15 | 0.0036% |
| 1910 | #1,613 | 10 | 0.0025% |
| 1909 | #1,459 | 10 | 0.0029% |
| 1908 | #1,191 | 13 | 0.0039% |
| 1907 | #984 | 16 | 0.0050% |
| 1906 | #1,093 | 13 | 0.0044% |
| 1905 | #1,154 | 12 | 0.0041% |
| 1904 | #1,461 | 8 | 0.0029% |
| 1903 | #2,043 | 5 | 0.0019% |
| 1902 | #932 | 15 | 0.0057% |
| 1901 | #852 | 16 | 0.0067% |
| 1900 | #701 | 27 | 0.0090% |
| 1899 | #867 | 15 | 0.0064% |
| 1898 | #743 | 21 | 0.0081% |
| 1897 | #926 | 13 | 0.0056% |
| 1896 | #785 | 18 | 0.0076% |
| 1895 | #814 | 16 | 0.0068% |
| 1894 | #779 | 16 | 0.0072% |
| 1893 | #656 | 20 | 0.0094% |
| 1892 | #661 | 20 | 0.0094% |
| 1891 | #606 | 20 | 0.0108% |
| 1890 | #720 | 15 | 0.0079% |
| 1889 | #718 | 14 | 0.0078% |
| 1888 | #608 | 18 | 0.0101% |
| 1887 | #583 | 16 | 0.0110% |
| 1886 | #654 | 13 | 0.0090% |
| 1885 | #538 | 17 | 0.0128% |
| 1884 | #538 | 16 | 0.0124% |
| 1883 | #479 | 17 | 0.0151% |
| 1882 | #490 | 15 | 0.0139% |
| 1881 | #501 | 12 | 0.0131% |
| 1880 | #365 | 21 | 0.0231% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #13,887 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #13,841 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #10,421 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #6,976 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #10,522 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #9,548 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #5,431 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #5,506 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #6,339 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #10,689 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #5,030 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #4,993 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #2,733 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 2003 | #6,185 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #3,760 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2001 | #4,850 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #3,888 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #2,549 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 1998 | #2,916 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1997 | #3,708 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #2,327 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 1995 | #2,338 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1994 | #2,487 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1993 | #2,284 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1992 | #2,078 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 1991 | #1,695 | 49 | 0.0024% |
| 1990 | #1,498 | 58 | 0.0028% |
| 1989 | #930 | 120 | 0.0060% |
| 1988 | #1,214 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 1987 | #1,138 | 71 | 0.0038% |
| 1986 | #1,343 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 1985 | #1,830 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1984 | #2,277 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1983 | #1,784 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1982 | #2,325 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1981 | #2,874 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1980 | #3,577 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #2,878 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #2,548 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1977 | #5,022 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #2,800 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1975 | #3,203 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #3,090 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #3,412 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #4,363 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #2,534 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1970 | #3,480 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #3,031 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #4,060 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #3,202 | 8 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
