Rebecca vs Samantha
Rebecca 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 Zealand · Girls
In 2011, Rebecca was ranked #85 and Samantha #36 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2008, Rebecca was ranked #94 and Samantha #41 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Rebecca was ranked #116 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Rebecca was ranked #141 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Rebecca was ranked #413 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Rebecca was ranked #431 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Rebecca was ranked #485 and Samantha #525 among girls in Norway.
Rebecca and Samantha over time
Rebecca and Samantha appear together in 6 published lists, across 231 years of shared records. Rebecca held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Samantha in 1.
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.
Rebecca reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Samantha 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 moved ahead of the other
In 1989, Samantha moved ahead of Rebecca in New Zealand · Girls — #4 and #5 the year before became #5 and #3.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Rebecca and Samantha changed places 6 times in New South Wales, Australia · Girls between 1966 and 2008, ending at #94 and #41.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 43 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Rebecca and Samantha averaged 15.7 places apart, ending at #94 and #41.
- Longest-running competitions
Rebecca and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #413 and #778.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Rebecca #8 in 1996, Samantha #32 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Rebecca held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Samantha in 10.
Highest recorded here: Rebecca #7 in 1995, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Rebecca #141, Samantha #885.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls43 shared years, 1966–2008
Rebecca held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Samantha in 21.
Highest recorded here: Rebecca #1 in 1976, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2008: Rebecca #94, Samantha #41.
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1969–2025
Rebecca held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Samantha in 1.
Highest recorded here: Rebecca #55 in 1996, Samantha #298 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Rebecca #485, Samantha #525.
New Zealand · Girls33 shared years, 1978–2011
Rebecca held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Samantha in 23.
Highest recorded here: Rebecca #2 in 1978, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order changed in 1989: Samantha moved ahead. In 1988 they stood at #4 and #5; by 1989 that had become #5 and #3.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Rebecca #85, Samantha #36.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Rebecca held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Rebecca #8 in 1996, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Rebecca #413, Samantha #778.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Rebecca held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Rebecca #2 in 1999, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Rebecca #116, 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 | Rebecca | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Traditionally associated with concepts of 'joining', 'tying', or a 'team/yoke' — a binding or connecting sense, from a Semitic root about fastening things together. | 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 | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /rəˈbɛkə/ | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #141 (2025) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Rebecca is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka origin, while Samantha is recorded with a Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) origin.
- Rebecca and Samantha both have 3 syllables.
- Rebecca'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
Rebecca
Popularity journey
First recorded1955
First recorded at #440 among girls in Norway in 1955 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2008
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1976 (recorded 1966–2008).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #413 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