Donna vs Sam

Donna and Samcompared 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.

England and Wales · Girls
In 2023, Donna was ranked #5687 and Sam #4056 among girls in England and Wales.

Donna and Sam over time

Donna and Sam appear together in 1 published list, across 16 years of shared records. Donna held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Sam in 0.

The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Donna reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Sam 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.

Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Donna #441 in 1996, Sam #1697 in 1998.

List by list

England and Wales · Girls16 shared years, 1996–2023
Donna held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Sam in 1.
Highest recorded here: Donna #441 in 1996, Sam #1697 in 1998.
The order changed in 2022: Sam moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #3447 and #4535; by 2022 that had become #5669 and #5669.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Donna #5687, Sam #4056.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Donna

Pairs where Donna shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Donna vs Denise
Donna and Denise changed places 16 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2020, ending at #834 and #834.
Donna · Denise · 52 shared years, 1964–2020 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 2020 Republic of Ireland ranking
Donna vs Lorraine
Donna and Lorraine changed places 14 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2013, ending at #894 and #894.
Donna · Lorraine · 48 shared years, 1964–2013 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 2013 Republic of Ireland ranking
Donna vs Stacey
Donna and Stacey changed places 12 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1977 and 2024, ending at #736 and #898.
Donna · Stacey · 37 shared years, 1977–2024 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 2024 Republic of Ireland ranking
Karen vs Donna
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Karen #1 in 1963, Donna #5 in 1964.
Karen · Donna · 30 shared years, 1953–1982 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1964 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Donna, Sam
Field	Donna	Sam
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	female	male
Meaning	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Origin	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation		Not yet recorded
Syllables	2	1
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	Republic of Ireland · Girls #736 (2024)	Republic of Ireland · Boys #50 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	95/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Donna has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Sam.
Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.

How each name got here

Donna

Popularity journey

First recorded1953
First recorded at #91 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1953–1982
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1964 (recorded 1953–1982).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls

Sam

Popularity journey

First recorded1959
First recorded at #340 among boys in Norway in 1959 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1983–2025
Highest recorded position: #38 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2015 (recorded 1983–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #289 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys