Samantha

femaleHebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin)

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: Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin)

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1966 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #3 in New Zealand in 1994. See regions.

Samantha: Recorded every year since 1966, it reached #3 in 1989, and it stood at #525 in 2025.

7registrars recorded it
242times a registrar ranked it
60years from first to last
#3highest recorded position
49groupings it qualifies for
53names it appears alongside

What stands out in Samantha's record

Ranked inside the top 10 by 2 registrars. Names by top-10 reach
Ranked every year since 1966, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 50 years running. Names by top-100 run
England and Wales registered 1,854 births with the name in 1996, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count

suh-MAN-thuh/sə.ˈmæn.θə/

Compare Samantha Run Name Checker on Samantha

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin)
Meaning: 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.
Pronunciation: suh-MAN-thuh
Syllables: 3
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: female
Language family: Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin)

Popularity

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#32
1997	#38
1998	#44
1999	#51
2000	#58
2001	#71
2002	#79
2003	#90
2004	#105
2005	#131
2006	#144
2007	#147
2008	#158
2009	#183
2010	#202
2011	#232
2012	#289
2013	#324
2014	#300
2015	#300
2016	#437
2017	#427
2018	#484
2019	#526
2020	#604
2021	#654
2022	#729
2023	#677
2024	#670
2025	#778

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in every year from 1966 to 2025.

In 2025: #525 among girls in Norway, #778 among girls in England and Wales, #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 1966–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

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
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #778 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls

Samantha appears in 6 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Girls, which has ranked it in 60 years beginning in 1966, and has registered 3,485 births with the name.

Samantha across 6 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Samantha's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#276 (1966)	#33 (1986)	#885 (2025)	60 of 60	3,485 (1966–2025)	206 (1986)
Norway · Girls	#519 (1969)	#298 (2015)	#525 (2025)	43 of 57	316 (1969–2025)	16 (2015)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#79 (1966)	#3 (1992)	#84 (2013)	48 of 48	16,029 (1966–2013)	804 (1988)
New Zealand · Girls	#99 (1978)	#3 (1989)	#85 (2015)	37 of 38	7,549 (1978–2015)	489 (1990)
England and Wales · Girls	#32 (1996)	#32 (1996)	#778 (2025)	30 of 30	12,744 (1996–2025)	1,854 (1996)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#61 (1997)	#57 (2000)	#446 (2021)	23 of 25	359 (1997–2021)	42 (1997)

Samantha by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Samantha in Republic of Ireland · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	110	4 of 10	28
1970s	848	10 of 10	85
1980sbusiest	1,143	10 of 10	114
1990s	866	10 of 10	87
2000s	303	10 of 10	30
2010s	168	10 of 10	17
2020s	47	6 of 10	8

Across Republic of Ireland · Girls, the 1980s were its busiest decade, averaging 114 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1986 and 1987, when recorded births fell by 69, from 206 to 137.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Samantha appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 7 registrars between 1966 and 2025, ranked in 60 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #3, first reached in 1989.

It held a top-100 place in 50 years, 50 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 1,854 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

2 registrars ranked it inside their own top 10.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1966, and 58 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Samantha was ranked #3 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls in 1992. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Samaira · #834, 29y
Samanta · #252, 31y
Samar · #660, 30y
Samara · #219, 30y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 7 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Benjamin · #3, 65y
Kelly · #3, 61y
Lucy · #3, 62y
Amy · #4, 60y

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1960 and 1969.

Kelly · #3, 61y
Lucy · #3, 62y
Malin · #3, 60y
Rory · #3, 62y

Comparisons involving Samantha

Existing comparison pages where Samantha and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Samantha in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Samantha vs Alice
In 1996 they stood at #32 and #25 in England and Wales · Girls, 7 places apart; by 2025 they were #778 and #52.
Samantha · Alice · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Samantha vs Eleanor
In 1996 they stood at #32 and #22 in England and Wales · Girls, 10 places apart; by 2025 they were #778 and #56.
Samantha · Eleanor · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Samantha vs Elizabeth
In 1996 they stood at #32 and #26 in England and Wales · Girls, 6 places apart; by 2025 they were #778 and #74.
Samantha · Elizabeth · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking

Closest long-running positions

Names that stayed close to Samantha within one registrar's list over many years. A gap measured inside that list, never across registrars.

Lauren vs Samantha
Across 35 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Lauren and Samantha averaged 10.2 places apart, ending at #97 and #91.
Lauren · Samantha · 35 shared years, 1977–2012 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2012 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Hannah vs Samantha
Across 37 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Hannah and Samantha averaged 13.6 places apart, ending at #29 and #85.
Hannah · Samantha · 37 shared years, 1978–2015 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2015 New Zealand ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Samantha and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Emily vs Samantha
In 1993, Emily moved ahead of Samantha in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #5 and #3 the year before became #3 and #5.
Emily · Samantha · 37 shared years, 1977–2013 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1993 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Rebecca vs Samantha
In 1989, Samantha moved ahead of Rebecca in New Zealand · Girls — #4 and #5 the year before became #5 and #3.
Rebecca · Samantha · 33 shared years, 1978–2011 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1989 New Zealand ranking
Amanda vs Samantha
In 1987, Samantha moved ahead of Amanda in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #4 and #10 the year before became #5 and #4.
Amanda · Samantha · 34 shared years, 1966–1999 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1987 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Pairs involving Samantha measured in New South Wales, Australia's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Samantha at its highest position.

Melissa vs Samantha
In 1987, Samantha moved ahead of Melissa in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #7 and #10 the year before became #6 and #4.
Melissa · Samantha · 35 shared years, 1966–2000 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1987 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Nicole vs Samantha
In 1987, Samantha moved ahead of Nicole in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #5 and #10 the year before became #10 and #4.
Nicole · Samantha · 37 shared years, 1966–2002 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1987 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Georgia vs Samantha
In 1997, Georgia moved ahead of Samantha in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #7 and #5 the year before became #5 and #7.
Georgia · Samantha · 25 shared years, 1989–2013 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1997 New South Wales, Australia ranking

New South Wales, Australia overview→

Samantha and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Samantha without appearing here.

Samantha moved ahead of

Sinead
In 2017 they stood at #272 and #178 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2018 that had become #336 and #629.
Vigdis
In 1992 they stood at #487 and #454 in Norway · Girls; by 1993 that had become #431 and #676.
Trine
In 2013 they stood at #551 and #512 in Norway · Girls; by 2014 that had become #341 and #578.
Monica
In 2014 they stood at #551 and #545 in Norway · Girls; by 2015 that had become #298 and #533.

Moved ahead of Samantha

Laura
In 1977 they stood at #519 and #564 in Norway · Girls; by 1978 that had become #645 and #225.
Amanda Compare
In 1985 they stood at #429 and #433 in Norway · Girls; by 1986 that had become #623 and #253.
Maeve
In 2018 they stood at #484 and #507 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2019 that had become #526 and #218.
Eabha
In 2009 they stood at #116 and #138 in Northern Ireland · Girls; by 2010 that had become #430 and #124.

Moved the opposite way to Samantha

Alexandra Compare
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Samantha went from #276 to #885 while Alexandra went from #288 to #141.
Caoimhe
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Samantha went from #276 to #885 while Caoimhe went from #380 to #31.
Kate
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Samantha went from #276 to #885 while Kate went from #380 to #52.
Leah Compare
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Samantha went from #276 to #885 while Leah went from #310 to #55.

Moved the same way as Samantha

Audrey
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Samantha went from #276 to #885 and Audrey from #63 to #885.
Elaine
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Samantha went from #276 to #885 and Elaine from #49 to #608.
Julia
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Samantha went from #276 to #885 and Julia from #59 to #118.
Martina
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Samantha went from #276 to #885 and Martina from #12 to #325.

Meaning & Origin

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin)

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Samantha is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Samantha, between 1966 and 2025. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
New South Wales, Australia	1966–2013	48	#3 in 1992
Republic of Ireland	1966–2025	60	#33 in 1986
Norway	1969–2025	43	#298 in 2015
New Zealand	1978–2015	37	#3 in 1989
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#32 in 1996
Northern Ireland	1997–2021	23	#57 in 2000
Scotland	2024	1	#541 in 2024

Its high point came 38 years earlier in Republic of Ireland (1986) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

suh-MAN-thuh/sə.ˈmæn.θə/

Syllables: 3
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Samantha Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Samantha in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Samantha

Samantha at a glance

What stands out in Samantha's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Samantha across 6 official records

Samantha by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Samantha appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Samantha

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Comparisons involving Samantha

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Samantha and the names beside it

Samantha moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Samantha

Moved the opposite way to Samantha

Moved the same way as Samantha

Meaning & Origin

Where Samantha is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Samantha Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Samantha at a glance

What stands out in Samantha's record

Samantha across 6 official records

Samantha by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Samantha appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Samantha

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Comparisons involving Samantha

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Samantha and the names beside it

Samantha moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Samantha

Moved the opposite way to Samantha

Moved the same way as Samantha