Chloe vs Samantha
Chloe 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 South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2013, Chloe was ranked #4 and Samantha #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2015, Chloe was ranked #14 and Samantha #85 among girls in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Chloe was ranked #22 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Chloe was ranked #39 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Chloe was ranked #42 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Chloe was ranked #72 and Samantha #670 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Chloe was ranked #341 and Samantha #525 among girls in Norway.
Chloe and Samantha over time
Chloe and Samantha appear together in 5 published lists, across 157 years of shared records. Chloe held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Samantha in 1.
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, Chloe 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In Republic of Ireland · Girls, Chloe moved into the top 50 at #45 in 1992 as Samantha fell out of it to #57, having been #49 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1997, Chloe moved ahead of Samantha in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #8 and #5 the year before became #6 and #7.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Chloe and Samantha averaged 32.1 places apart, ending at #4 and #84.
- Longest-running competitions
Chloe and Samantha were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 48 years, from 1974 to 2025, ending at #22 and #885.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Chloe #1 in 1997, Samantha #32 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls48 shared years, 1974–2025
Chloe held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Samantha in 14.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #1 in 1998, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order changed in 1992: Chloe moved ahead. In 1991 they stood at #50 and #49; by 1992 that had become #45 and #57.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Chloe #22, Samantha #885.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Chloe held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #1 in 1997, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Chloe #72, Samantha #670.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls29 shared years, 1985–2013
Chloe held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Samantha in 12.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #1 in 2006, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order changed in 1997: Chloe moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #8 and #5; by 1997 that had become #6 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Chloe #4, Samantha #84.
New Zealand · Girls28 shared years, 1986–2015
Chloe held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Samantha in 17.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #8 in 2010, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order changed in 2005: Chloe moved ahead. In 2004 they stood at #19 and #12; by 2005 that had become #19 and #21.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Chloe #14, Samantha #85.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Chloe held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Chloe #1 in 1997, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Chloe #42, 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 | Chloe | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'green shoot', referring to new plant growth in spring; used as an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter. | 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 | Ancient Greek | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkloʊi/ | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 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 | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #7 (2025) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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
- Chloe is recorded with a Ancient Greek origin, while Samantha is recorded with a Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) origin.
- Chloe has 1 syllable, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- Chloe's recorded meaning differs from Samantha's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Chloe
Popularity journey
First recorded1974
First recorded at #490 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1974 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 1997 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #7 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · 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 #525 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls