Margaret vs Samanta
Margaret and Samantacompared 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 2020, Margaret was ranked #220 and Samanta #834 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Margaret was ranked #336 and Samanta #424 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Margaret was ranked #493 and Samanta #4843 among girls in England and Wales.
Margaret and Samanta over time
Margaret and Samanta appear together in 2 published lists, across 44 years of shared records. Margaret held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Samanta in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Margaret #3 in 1969, Samanta #252 in 1970.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls24 shared years, 1997–2024
Margaret held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Samanta in 0.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #357 in 2020, Samanta #925 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Margaret #493, Samanta #4843.
Republic of Ireland · Girls20 shared years, 1969–2020
Margaret held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Samanta in 0.
Highest recorded here: Margaret #3 in 1969, Samanta #252 in 1970.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Margaret #220, Samanta #834.
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 | Margaret | Samanta |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From Latin Margarita, from Greek 'margarites' meaning 'pearl' — likely originally borrowed from an Indo-Iranian language. Associated with Saint Margaret, a 4th-century martyr and patron saint of expectant mothers. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Greek | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑɹ.ɡɹɪt/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #135 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #4843 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Margaret has a recorded origin (Greek); Samanta does not have one recorded yet.
- Margaret and Samanta both have 3 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Margaret; Samanta doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Margaret
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #173 among girls in Norway in 1945 — 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 1965 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #135 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Samanta
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #443 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1969–2020
Highest recorded position: #252 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1970 (recorded 1969–2020).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4843 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls