Alice vs Samantha
Alice and Samanthacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Alice was ranked #41 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Alice was ranked #45 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2015, Alice was ranked #48 and Samantha #85 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2013, Alice was ranked #49 and Samantha #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Alice was ranked #52 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Alice was ranked #76 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Alice was ranked #182 and Samantha #525 among girls in Norway.
Alice and Samantha over time
Alice and Samantha appear together in 6 published lists, across 215 years of shared records. Alice held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Samantha in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Samantha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Alice in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New Zealand · Girls, Alice moved into the top 50 at #43 in 2014 as Samantha fell out of it to #70, having been #46 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2010, Alice moved ahead of Samantha in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #70 and #47 the year before became #58 and #67.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Alice and Samantha changed places 5 times in New Zealand · Girls between 1979 and 2015, ending at #48 and #85.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 36 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Alice and Samantha averaged 33.8 places apart, ending at #48 and #85.
- Longest-running competitions
Alice and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #52 and #778.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Alice #34 in 1989, Samantha #3 in 1989.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1996 they stood at #25 and #32 in England and Wales · Girls, 7 places apart; by 2025 they were #52 and #778.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Alice held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Samantha in 27.
Highest recorded here: Alice #29 in 2022, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alice #41, Samantha #885.
Norway · Girls43 shared years, 1969–2025
Alice held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alice #123 in 2015, Samantha #298 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alice #182, Samantha #525.
New Zealand · Girls36 shared years, 1979–2015
Alice held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Samantha in 31.
Highest recorded here: Alice #34 in 1989, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order changed in 2014: Alice moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #55 and #46; by 2014 that had become #43 and #70.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Alice #48, Samantha #85.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Alice held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alice #17 in 2016, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Alice #52, Samantha #778.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls23 shared years, 1986–2013
Alice held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Samantha in 19.
Highest recorded here: Alice #48 in 2012, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order changed in 2010: Alice moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #70 and #47; by 2010 that had become #58 and #67.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Alice #49, Samantha #84.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Alice held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Samantha in 5.
Highest recorded here: Alice #35 in 2019, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order changed in 2008: Alice moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #147 and #139; by 2008 that had become #110 and #212.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Alice #45, Samantha #446.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Alice | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Likely a feminine adaptation of Samuel, incorporating a suffix possibly derived from Greek 'anthos' ('flower'). Emerged in 18th-century America; boosted to wide popularity by the 1964 television series Bewitched. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ | |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #41 (2025) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Samantha has a recorded origin (Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin)); Alice does not have one recorded yet.
- Alice and Samantha both have 3 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Samantha; Alice doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Alice
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #292 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #17 among girls in England and Wales, in 2016 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Samantha
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2013
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1992 (recorded 1966–2013).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #778 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls