Grace vs Samantha
Grace 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Grace was ranked #1 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Grace was ranked #4 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2013, Grace was ranked #12 and Samantha #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2015, Grace was ranked #12 and Samantha #85 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Grace was ranked #13 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Grace was ranked #25 and Samantha #670 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Grace was ranked #503 and Samantha #525 among girls in Norway.
Grace and Samantha over time
Grace and Samantha appear together in 6 published lists, across 196 years of shared records. Grace held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Samantha in 0.
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 6 of those lists, and Grace 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 1998, Grace moved ahead of Samantha in England and Wales · Girls — #42 and #38 the year before became #35 and #44.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Grace and Samantha changed places 12 times in Norway · Girls between 1969 and 2025, ending at #503 and #525.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Grace and Samantha averaged 35.3 places apart, ending at #12 and #84.
- Longest-running competitions
Grace and Samantha were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 60 years, from 1966 to 2025, ending at #4 and #885.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Grace #354 in 2017, Samantha #298 in 2015.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1996 they stood at #41 and #32 in England and Wales · Girls, 9 places apart; by 2024 they were #25 and #670.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Grace held the stronger position in 48 of those years, Samantha in 11.
Highest recorded here: Grace #1 in 2020, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Grace #4, Samantha #885.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Grace held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Samantha in 2.
Highest recorded here: Grace #1 in 2006, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order changed in 1998: Grace moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #42 and #38; by 1998 that had become #35 and #44.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Grace #25, Samantha #670.
New Zealand · Girls29 shared years, 1987–2015
Grace held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Samantha in 12.
Highest recorded here: Grace #5 in 2000, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order changed in 1999: Grace moved ahead. In 1998 they stood at #8 and #6; by 1999 that had become #6 and #9.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Grace #12, Samantha #85.
Norway · Girls29 shared years, 1969–2025
Grace held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Samantha in 14.
Highest recorded here: Grace #354 in 2017, Samantha #298 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Grace #503, Samantha #525.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls26 shared years, 1988–2013
Grace held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Samantha in 12.
Highest recorded here: Grace #10 in 2002, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order changed in 2000: Grace moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #13 and #11; by 2000 that had become #12 and #13.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Grace #12, Samantha #84.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Grace held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Grace #1 in 2013, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Grace #1, 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 | Grace | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Grace, favour (the English virtue word, used directly as a name). | 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 | English (virtue name), from Latin gratia | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡɹeɪs/ | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Gracie | 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 #4 (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 | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Grace is recorded with a English (virtue name), from Latin gratia origin, while Samantha is recorded with a Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) origin.
- Grace has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- Grace'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.
- The available evidence gives Grace a "high" Data Confidence level and Samantha a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Grace
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #393 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2006 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 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