Catherine vs Samantha
Catherine 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 2001, Catherine was ranked #99 and Samantha #8 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2000, Catherine was ranked #90 and Samantha #13 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Catherine was ranked #139 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Catherine was ranked #260 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Catherine was ranked #273 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2018, Catherine was ranked #509 and Samantha #378 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Catherine was ranked #590 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Catherine and Samantha over time
Catherine and Samantha appear together in 6 published lists, across 182 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 4 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Catherine reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Samantha 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 moved ahead of the other
In 1973, Samantha moved ahead of Catherine in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #20 and #23 the year before became #32 and #18.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Catherine and Samantha changed places 7 times in Norway · Girls between 1969 and 2018, ending at #509 and #378.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Catherine and Samantha averaged 29.7 places apart, ending at #90 and #13.
- Longest-running competitions
Catherine and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #590 and #778.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Catherine #68 in 1996, Samantha #32 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Catherine held the stronger position in 60 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #2 in 1966, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Catherine #273, Samantha #885.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Catherine held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Samantha in 16.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #68 in 1996, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order changed in 2012: Catherine moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #233 and #232; by 2012 that had become #215 and #289.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Catherine #590, Samantha #778.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls28 shared years, 1966–2000
Catherine held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Samantha in 21.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #9 in 1968, Samantha #4 in 1987.
The order changed in 1973: Samantha moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #20 and #23; by 1973 that had become #32 and #18.
Most recent shared year, 2000: Catherine #90, Samantha #13.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Catherine held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #22 in 1997, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Catherine #139, Samantha #446.
Norway · Girls21 shared years, 1969–2018
Catherine held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Samantha in 5.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #268 in 1983, Samantha #378 in 2018.
The order changed in 2018: Samantha moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #546 and #580; by 2018 that had become #509 and #378.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Catherine #509, Samantha #378.
New Zealand · Girls20 shared years, 1978–2001
Catherine held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Samantha in 14.
Highest recorded here: Catherine #24 in 1980, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order changed in 1985: Samantha moved ahead. In 1984 they stood at #37 and #55; by 1985 that had become #38 and #29.
Most recent shared year, 2001: Catherine #99, Samantha #8.
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 | Catherine | 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 | 4 | 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 #273 (2025) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 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)); Catherine does not have one recorded yet.
- Catherine has 4 syllables, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- A meaning is recorded for Samantha; Catherine 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
Catherine
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #366 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #590 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