Ellie vs Samantha
Ellie 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, Ellie was ranked #15 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Ellie was ranked #20 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Ellie was ranked #33 and Samantha #525 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ellie was ranked #35 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2015, Ellie was ranked #40 and Samantha #85 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2013, Ellie was ranked #50 and Samantha #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Ellie was ranked #119 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Ellie and Samantha over time
Ellie and Samantha appear together in 5 published lists, across 119 years of shared records. Ellie held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Samantha in 1.
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.
Samantha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Ellie 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 2010, Ellie moved ahead of Samantha in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #83 and #47 the year before became #53 and #67.
- Longest-running competitions
Ellie and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #119 and #778.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1996 they stood at #30 and #32 in England and Wales · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2025 they were #119 and #778.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls34 shared years, 1987–2025
Ellie held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Samantha in 8.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #6 in 2023, Samantha #49 in 1991.
The order changed in 2000: Ellie moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #165 and #102; by 2000 that had become #124 and #132.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellie #15, Samantha #885.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Ellie held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #2 in 2003, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellie #119, Samantha #778.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Ellie held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Samantha in 3.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #3 in 2005, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order changed in 2000: Ellie moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #86 and #66; by 2000 that had become #47 and #57.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ellie #20, Samantha #446.
Norway · Girls19 shared years, 2005–2025
Ellie held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Samantha in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #30 in 2021, Samantha #298 in 2015.
The order changed in 2010: Ellie moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #482 and #447; by 2010 that had become #307 and #539.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ellie #33, Samantha #525.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls13 shared years, 1992–2013
Ellie held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Samantha in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ellie #50 in 2013, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order changed in 2010: Ellie moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #83 and #47; by 2010 that had become #53 and #67.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Ellie #50, Samantha #84.
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 | Ellie | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A diminutive of several longer names, particularly Eleanor, Ellen and Elizabeth. | 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 | Various, diminutive form | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.i/ | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 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 #15 (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
- Ellie is recorded with a Various, diminutive form origin, while Samantha is recorded with a Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) origin.
- Ellie has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- Ellie'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
Ellie
Popularity journey
First recorded1987
First recorded at #488 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1987 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in England and Wales, in 2003 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #119 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