Ashleigh vs Samantha
Ashleigh 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2005, Ashleigh was ranked #72 and Samantha #21 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2005, Ashleigh was ranked #87 and Samantha #33 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2016, Ashleigh was ranked #440 and Samantha #306 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Ashleigh was ranked #764 and Samantha #322 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Ashleigh was ranked #2788 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Ashleigh and Samantha over time
Ashleigh and Samantha appear together in 5 published lists, across 124 years of shared records. Samantha held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Ashleigh in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Samantha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Ashleigh in 1. 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 21 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ashleigh and Samantha averaged 20.8 places apart, ending at #87 and #33.
- Longest-running competitions
Ashleigh and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #2788 and #778.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Ashleigh #58 in 1996, Samantha #32 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls37 shared years, 1971–2021
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samantha in 37.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #162 in 1995, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ashleigh #764, Samantha #322.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samantha in 30.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #58 in 1996, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ashleigh #2788, Samantha #778.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls21 shared years, 1985–2005
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samantha in 21.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #13 in 1993, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Ashleigh #87, Samantha #33.
New Zealand · Girls20 shared years, 1986–2005
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samantha in 20.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #8 in 1992, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Ashleigh #72, Samantha #21.
Northern Ireland · Girls16 shared years, 1997–2016
Ashleigh held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Samantha in 15.
Highest recorded here: Ashleigh #87 in 1997, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Ashleigh #440, Samantha #306.
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 | Ashleigh | 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 | Not yet recorded | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2788 (2025) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 53/100 | 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)); Ashleigh does not have one recorded yet.
- Ashleigh has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- A meaning is recorded for Samantha; Ashleigh doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Ashleigh
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #417 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1986–2005
Highest recorded position: #8 among girls in New Zealand, in 1992 (recorded 1986–2005).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2788 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